The monthly driving under the influence and traffic safety emphasis patrol will be in University Place and Fircrest Saturday evening, Jan. 19.
The Pierce County emphasis will be dedicated to Leo and Mary Rita Dennehy, who were killed in 1979 when a drunk driver crashed head-on into their car. The impaired driver was driving a pickup with a snowplow attached to the front.
Their 20-year-old daughter, Rita, was also in the car. She barely survived, sustaining a broken neck in the crash. The driver sustained minor injuries and was sentenced to only a few months in the county jail with release time each day to go to work.
Rita Dennehy now serves as the vice chair of the Tacoma/Pierce County DUI Victims Panel.
Police from various cities and towns, Pierce County Sheriffs Department deputies, state patrol troopers, Liquour Control Board agents and military police will take part in the patrols.
