Colorado State Patrol seeing more DUIs with children in the car, victim's advocate speaks out
Colorado State Patrol says troopers are seeing increases with parents, loved ones, and caregivers driving behind the wheel intoxicated, while their children are in the car.
CSP says its Victim's Advocate Unit responds to at least 24 cases a month. Six current advocates are responding to at least four cases a month. When a driver is pulled over for a DUI charge, they face child abuse charges as well.
When a driver is pulled over for a DUI and there's a child in the car, a victim advocate is in charge of making sure the kid is safe and remains calm. The advocate will keep the child distracted with toys, coloring books, and conversation. Their main job is to keep kids away from the adult who was allegedly driving while intoxicated while troopers finish their investigation.
The victim's advocate is called the moment the trooper sees a kid in the car and the driver shows signs of intoxication. This includes alcohol, prescription pills, cannabis, and anything recreational.
If the child is young, like an infant or toddler, the victim advocate will contact the next of kin to pick up the child. If the child is old enough to speak, the victim advocate will ask them which adult they feel comfortable with. With both directions, the adult contacted must be sober and not have any warrants.
The Victim's Advocate Unit says in many cases, after their investigation, they find out the child has been in this type of situation way more than once.
"Many times, we have found out that these children have been put in harm's way more than two, three or even four times by the same parent," Dolores Poeppel, director of Victim Services Unit for CSP. "It's very important that we report it to DHS because we really feel like we are the voice for these children who have been in these circumstances numerous times."
If the next of kin is out of town, the Victim's Advocate Unit will work with local hospitals and law enforcement to keep the children safe until they arrive. The person caught driving under the influence will be arrested and face charges of child abuse and DUI. These are two separate charges.
