If even one life is spared, or not injured because of this it will have been worth it.
Operation Intervention: NBPD's DWI education
- The Herald-ZeitungNew Braunfels Police Department officers are giving kids the wheel to teach them a valuable lesson about drinking and driving.
Officers are looking forward to getting their new “DWIpod” — a drunk driving simulator they will use to teach local students about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
The trailer-sized video game will be the newest tool in NBPD’s Operation Intervention, the department’s ongoing campaign to keep students away from drugs and alcohol. The New Braunfels City Council agreed to pay almost $44,000 Monday to fund the machine.
The simulation — the first of its kind — is being built by Otto Glenewinkel, a Texas State University police officer and owner of DWIpod Corporation, a nonprofit company based in New Braunfels.
“When I would patrol around San Marcos, I started to notice all the time I spent arresting people for drunk driving,” Glenewinkel said. “I thought this would be a good way to educate students and young adults.”
Glenewinkel’s 12 years as a police officer at Texas State University and with the city of Marion helped him develop the idea.
“We put a lot of thought and analysis into the machine,” he said. “There’s a ton of software out there. ... We focused on the more engaging software. We wanted to have something to reach the youth. They really love these games and it sends a great message.”
The simulation puts students directly in the driver’s seat. The machine creates impaired vision environments including tunnel and blurred vision, Glenewinkel said. The driver also wears “drunk goggles,” which create similar effects.
“There will be an officer inside the simulator who can adjust the amount of impairment,” he said.
The DWIpod is scheduled to be completed by September. NBPD will incorporate the simulator into its growing Operation Intervention program, Lt. John McDonald said. Operation Intervention was started by McDonald and other officers in August 2007.
“We’re taking the program to another level,” McDonald said. “Our goal is to help educate the youth on alcohol awareness and the hazards of drinking and driving.”
He said the DWIpod is perfect for helping them achieve that goal.
“We’re going to take it everywhere,” he said. “Schools, school functions, grocery stores, anywhere they will let us, we will take it.”
Since August 2007, McDonald said NBPD officers have spoken to more than 7,000 area youth on the dangers of drinking and driving. At the Municipal Court, he said alcohol-related violations for people under 21 have dropped 44 percent since August 2007.
NBPD Sgt. Heath Purvis, who is heavily involved with Operation Intervention, said the DWIpod is a great step.
“After every presentation, we think about what we can do different or better,” Purvis said. “It’s all about keeping these kids interested and getting them to listen. ... We’ve had kids come up to us after presentations completely unsolicited to tell us they’ve already made the decision not to drink.”
