Sheriff’s Office free Holiday Ride Home program starts Thanksgiving Day and runs through Jan. 2 to prevent drinking and driving; Call 271-2501 to be brought home; More than 20 people participated

Posted: November 24th, 2014 | Filed under: News Releases

Signs telling the public about the free Holiday Ride Home program will be put up around St. Bernard Parish. Shown at one last year is Sheriff James Pohlmann, at right, with Lt. Brent Bourgeois of the Traffic Division.

Signs telling the public about the free Holiday Ride Home program will be put up around St. Bernard Parish. Shown at one last year is Sheriff James Pohlmann, at right, with Lt. Brent Bourgeois of the Traffic Division.

Sheriff James Pohlmann is urging St. Bernard residents to take advantage of the Sheriff’s Office free Holiday Ride Home program which starts Thanksgiving Day and runs through Jan. 2 to prevent drinking and driving.

More than 20 people took part last year, getting a ride home from any point in the parish, no questions asked, Sheriff Pohlmann said., Call 271-2501 for the ride,

“It was one of the largest number of people we have had in the program,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said, and was a sign that residents are heeding the advice that it isn’t worth the risk to get behind the wheel if they have been drinking.

“It is a no-brainer,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “Why should you risk killing or injuring yourself or someone else or being arrested for DWI when we will bring you home in St. Bernard,’’ the sheriff said. “Just call us.’’

Unfortunately, Sheriff Pohlmann said, arrests for driving while intoxicated also continue to be made each year during the holidays, indicating some people just don’t get it.

This is the 31th consecutive year the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office is offering the free Holiday Ride Home program, which was the first of its type in the New Orleans area when started in 1984.

The free rides home are for any parish resident who has been drinking during the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s holidays. Sheriff Pohlmann said.

A sheriff’s deputy will pick you up and take you to your home in St. Bernard or, if you live out of the parish, you can be taken to a sheriff’s sub-station where arrangements can be made to have someone pick you up there.

“We are proud of the Holiday Ride Home program,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “And why not? It was innovative when it was started and it shows we don’t want anyone injured by impaired drivers.’’

The Sheriff’s Office will be working in conjunction with State Police to battle drunk-driving by looking for impaired drivers. “We patrol vigorously looking for anyone who is driving drunk or on drugs,’’ the sheriff said.