CLEARWATER, Fla. — For Sgt. Daniel Negersmith with the Clearwater Police Department, running the traffic unit is a bit of a numbers game.
He told us deadly crashes are down, from 22 in 2021 to eight in 2022 and four as of March 2023.
And for that, his six-man unit is thankful.
But he added that other numbers are going in the wrong direction.
Traffic stops are up, with 36,000 happening in 2022. More than 800 of those were DUIs.
"We're seeing a lot of impaired individuals," he said, "Both drugs and alcohol."
So to see what CPD officers are up against, ABC Action News tagged along for a late-night detail.
Early into the ride, we spot our first potentially impaired driver swerving slightly and driving without lights.
"See how that car is drifting back and forth on the roadway?" asked Sgt. Negersmith.
Sgt. Negersmith signaled for the driver to pull over.
"How are you tonight, ma'am?" he asked her. "I'm concerned with why you're driving without any lights on."
After a short conversation, we quickly learned that this driver was experiencing a different kind of impairment than most would think of.
"[We have a] Very tired driver. Just came in off a flight out of New York and just picked up a rental car. So equally as somebody who's impaired by alcohol and drugs. Tired drivers are equally as bad," said Sgt. Negersmith.
After a quick warning and check of her lights, she was on her way and we were back on patrol.
Negersmith told us that the key to patrolling is to keep your head on a swivel—essentially, looking for anything out of the ordinary like speeding, swerving, racing, missing stop signs or red lights or even driving too slowly.
They're all things that could signal possible impairment, but ultimately officers have to confirm that after stopping you.
"You know, when you get up to that vehicle, what are you seeing, what are you smelling, what are you hearing? Are they slurring their words? Are their eyes bloodshot and glassy? Do you smell the odor of alcoholic beverage? I mean, you can't arrest someone for those things alone, but those are all clues. Those are all signs of impairment," said Sgt. Negersmith.
Shortly after that lesson, the sergeant spots a car driving under the speed limit with its high beams on. Once we cleared a bridge, he signaled for the driver to pull over.
"Good evening," he said to the driver, "Why are you driving with your high beams on?"
But what we thought might end in another warning turned out to be much more. After an exchange, we learned the driver didn't have his license on him but instead had an I.D. card.
"The driver, he's got a legal marijuana card. When I asked him when he smoked marijuana last, he said a couple of hours ago. So, I'm gonna have one of my officers come down here and we're going to do a quick evaluation to make sure he's safe to or was safe to drive at the time. He's not going to continue to drive," said Sgt. Negersmith.
A short time later, other officers arrive and the sergeant fills them in.
"His eyes are bloodshot and glassy. They've got club bands and I need you to make the final evaluation for me so we can determine if he's impaired or not," said Sgt. Negersmith.
The field sobriety test began immediately.
"There's a certain amount of passes, each pass, he's looking for different things," said Sgt. Negersmith.
After checking the driver's eyes several times, a responding officer asked the driver a series of questions. Sgt. Negersmith said the goal is to make sure they're up for a test involving movement.
"We're just basically seeing if he has the ability to comprehend. If he's got any physical disabilities, if he's sick or injured," he said.
Once that's been established, officers ask the driver to stand at the end of a measured line of tape.
"If they take their foot off the line and re-balance themselves and put their foot back, that's a clue. If they start to walk, that's a second clue right there. It's over. Because you only need two clues for this exercise," said Sgt. Negersmith.
If a driver fails enough of these tests, they're offered a breath test. It's an offer the driver, in this case, declined.
"Then we read him this statement here, and basically what it says is that your license will be suspended for a year," said Sgt. Negersmith.
That driver was then determined to be impaired and arrested. He was charged with DUI and driving without a license.
Back in the car, Sgt. Negersmith told us that education, arrests and tougher criminal penalties will be the quickest ways to turn DUI numbers around.
And when it comes to education, he leaves all drivers with this sobering reminder.
"You gotta remember that if you are impaired and you do hurt somebody or kill somebody, you're going to prison, you're not going to jail. There's a huge difference," he said.
Another major issue that Clearwater police said they're seeing is drivers not moving over for them when they're stopped on the side of the road.
Our crew watched it happen at least six times in about two hours while out on patrol. We even watched as a driver got a ticket for it.
Florida’s Move Over Law was passed in 2002 and it requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down 20 miles under the speed limit when law enforcement, first responders or tow truck drivers are stopped on the side of the road.
However, an ABC Action News I-Team investigation from earlier this year revealed that Florida drivers who fail to move over are causing an average of one crash every two days.
