Darlington officer honored for DUI enforcement
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
For the second year in a row, Darlington Police Department Patrol Officer Anthony Boan has been recognized as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Network’s DUI Enforcement Officer of the Year for the 4th Judicial Circuit. The award is presented each year to the officer making the highest number of DUI arrests in their local circuit.
Officer Boan made 13 DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and DUAC (Driving with Unlawful Alcohol Concentration) arrests in 2016, even though he was away serving in the National Guard from April to September.
Officer Anthony Boan
Boan has seven years of experience in law enforcement, including two years as a corrections officer and five years on active patrol as a police officer – two with the Hartsville Police Department and three years with DPD. Boan says that his goal was always to join a police force and actively work to make his community a safer place.
“Right off the bat, I wanted to get to the streets as soon as I could. It’s always been a dream of mine to be a police officer,” says Boan.
As a patrol officer with the DPD, his average day consists of responding to calls for service and enforcing traffic laws, with a primary focus on spotting and stopping drivers who may be driving under the influence.
“DUI impairment is not just alcohol, which is a common misconception. It’s also impairment from drugs or any other substance that would keep you from operating a motor vehicle safely,” says Boan.
When officers observe someone driving erratically or get a 911 tip about a possible drunk driver, they evaluate several factors that could indicate driver impairment.
“You’re going to look for several things that might mean impairment, such as taking a wide turn, operating at night without headlights, speeding, going too slow, not using their turn signals when they’re supposed to. When you see things like that, it puts you on alert that something’s not right,” says Boan.
Officer Boan also watches drivers to see if they’re drifting left of center, driving in the wrong lane, or showing signs of slowed reaction time in changing traffic conditions. When all of these observational skills are put to use, officers are able to find impaired drivers and get them off the road before they cause a vehicle collision, potentially harming themselves or other motorists.
“Last year, South Carolina was ranked fifth in the nation for alcohol related deaths in DUIs. That’s a big part of why I do what I do, because it makes a change for the better getting these impaired drivers off the streets,” says Boan.
If you see a vehicle moving erratically and suspect driver impairment, regardless of the time of day, please call 911 and notify law enforcement immediately.