By The Numbers - Our DWI Problem in Amarillo

With the summer months ahead in Amarillo, people will be getting out and doing stuff. There may be plans to hang out by the pool. There will be plenty of cookouts. Summer months can also mean cracking open a cold one.

There have been several examples recently that should make us stop and think. We had an Amarillo restaurant owner struck by a drunk driver. There are several ways to help her including a Go Fund Me. Last we heard she was still in the hospital with those bills piling up.

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We also heard recently from the Amarillo Police with their findings that in just one month Amarillo had forty-nine DWI-related arrests. That is just crazy. I would think we were far enough and with so many options this wouldn't be an issue. It is. Even with Uber and Lyft being so easy to schedule these numbers are still an issue.

This is not just an Amarillo problem. This is bigger than that. The numbers in Potter and Randall County are crazy high. The Texas DPS has a full report of just how big of a problem DWIs are for our counties. You can see the complete list HERE.

Texas DPS

There were around 650 DWI charges in Potter County both in 2022 and 2023. It's like we are not learning a thing. What is it going to take?

Texas DPS

The numbers are definitely better in Randall County but they are not at zero. So there is still a problem. There are almost one hundred charges in both 2022 and 2023.

Why Are Potter County Numbers So Much Higher?

I thought at first that maybe it was a numbers game. There are more people in one county over the other so of course one would have more than the other. Well according to the Census Bureau, the population In Randall County is higher. There are close to one hundred and fifty thousand in Randall County and only one hundred and fourteen thousand in Potter. So that is not it.

Is it the difference in the socio-economic breakdown of each county? Well, that can't be it either because alcohol doesn't discriminate. There are as many low-income people who drink as rich and well-to-do individuals. Maybe the numbers are lower in Randall County because they are utilizing the ride-share options. Maybe more in Randall County are drinking at home. Or maybe there are not as many drinking in access.

This study doesn't really break it down but Potter County definitely has the bigger DWI problem. That has to change.

Pleased To Be Here: Happiest Mugshots of Randall County

My my my! These are some happy campers.

You'd think having your mugshot taken would be far from one of your finer moments.....but these inmates prove that you can always turn that frown upside down.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

Thrilled to Be There: the Smiling Mugshots of Hutchinson County

Hutchinson County has plenty of people who have committed a criminal blunder (or two). And just like any other bigger city, jail is no fun. However, some of the residents of Borger and Stinnett are believers in keeping their spirits high in the face of adversity.

Not sure what we mean?

Well....let's just say that Randall County's cheerful inmates aren't the only ones who seem happy to be arrested....While there’s nothing funny about committing a crime, these offenders in Hutchinson County certainly do know how to light up a pod with their smile :-)

Gallery Credit: Seth Coleman