(Toledo News Now) -
New efforts to crack down on drug trafficking and drunk driving is paying off for the Ohio State Highway Patrol and they could not have done it without the public's help.
A revamped hotline has increased the number of tips that the OSHP is receiving and troopers say they are getting more than 4,000 calls a month from drivers.
"The 1-800-GRABDUI was a little bit longer of a number to dial, so we're hoping that people will put those in their memory or store that on their telephone, and they can just push a button and get a hold of Highway Patrol," said Lt. Jerrod Savidge.
All a driver has to dial is #677 to reach OSHP. The new hotline has only been operating for about a year. Officials say the increased number of calls helps them do their job better.
"We'll dispatch a trooper to that area, and as long as we have somebody available, we do respond to every single phone call," said Savidge.
Savidge says the most common calls they receive are reports of wreckless driving, if someone sees a driver using drugs, as well as any other kind of suspicious activity.
"It gives the motoring public a way to call the Highway Patrol directly to report not only DUI information if they see somebody swerving, but also criminal activity. If they see anything unusual they can call us and we'll react on that," explained Savidge.
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