By Jerry Cornfield
Herald Writer
OLYMPIA -- Tulalip Resort Casino bills itself as "the No. 1 place for fun," but it's not proud of its top ranking in the state among those who celebrate too much.
More people arrested in 2008 on suspicion of drunken driving said in a completely unscientific tally that the Tulalip Tribes' resort hotel or one of its two casinos was the last place they had a drink before meeting up with a law enforcement officer.
According to data compiled by the state Liquor Control Board, 59 people arrested for drunken driving last year told officers their last drink came at the Tulalip Resort Casino. One of those people even had a blood alcohol level of .305, nearly four times the legal limit.
"It's more than we wanted," said Brett Magnan, executive vice president of the Tulalip Resort Casino, where 4.3 million people visited in 2008.
The state Liquor Control Board develops the list by gleaning information from DUI arrest reports of city, county, tribal and state law enforcement officers.
No one contacted Friday could say how many people total had been arrested for drunken driving throughout the state by the various agencies.
The data is taken from reports made after an arrest, when officers ask a person how much they had to drink and where they had their last drink, said Sgt. Freddy Williams of the Washington State Patrol.
Not every person answers because they do have a constitutional right to remain silent, Williams said.
Even so, officers are not compelled to ask. And it was not clear whether the data includes whether a person said they had been drinking at home, work or elsewhere that was not a bar, such as at a softball game at a park or at a family reunion.
"We don't publicize the list because the data itself is hearsay," Liquor board spokesman Brian Smith said. "We use this data as a tool to help our law enforcement folks on where they may want to put their resources.
"We want to cut down on the number of DUIs and on the number of people getting overserved in bars," where the agency has jurisdiction, he said.
Another caveat of the list: Tulalip Resort Casino and the other businesses may not be where a person got drunk. It may only be their final stopover after drinking heavily elsewhere, Smith said.
Overall, the number of DUI arrests by State Patrol officers dropped in 2008 from 2007.
Preliminary figures for 2008 show there were 20,342 arrests statewide, of which 2,687 were in Snohomish County. In 2007, State Patrol officers arrested 22,253 people on suspicion of DUI, of which 3,554 of those were in Snohomish County.
Washington State Patrol already knows pretty well "where most of the drunks are coming from," Williams said.
There's a history of arrests and of collisions in which alcohol is a factor, he said.
As a result they've deployed extra patrols in different parts of the state, including the I-5 corridor through Marysville and Everett, he said.
Magnan's voice was steeped in frustration Friday as he described how the list doesn't reflect the Tulalips' efforts to keep overly inebriated patrons from leaving the casino and driving.
Free cab rides and free stays in the hotel kept hundreds of people off the road last year. And servers are trained to not provide alcohol to those who appear to have had too much, he said.
Sometimes these patrons get upset and head out the door to their car.
"We call police if a person who shouldn't be driving goes out to drive," he said, adding that such action undoubtedly increased their total.
Tulalip Resort Casino supplants Shotze's in Everett at the top of the state's list.
Shotze's Rack N' Roll held the dubious top ranking in 2007, when 67 people named the bar and restaurant as where they had a final drink before getting behind the wheel. This year the business dropped to sixth with its name showing up on 31 reports.
"I'm really glad we're down the list," owner Darryl Cloer said Friday.
He said he thinks a combination of increased training of servers and patrols in the area by Everett police is helping.
"And hopefully people are taking more responsibility this year," he said.
Other Snohomish County establishments near the top of the list are JR's Steakhouse & Bar in Marysville and Jet Bar and Grill in Mill Creek, each named by 19 people, and Foxy's Steak & Spirits in Everett, identified on 15 reports.
Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick said Friday he couldn't criticize any firm that appears on the list.
"I know they're working hard," he said. "The businesses are working to be responsible, and the consumers need to be more responsible."
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
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