Under the leadership of District Attorney Mark Powell, the DUI/Homicide by Motor Vehicle Unit specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drunken driving and vehicular crashes involving serious bodily injury or death through the use of prosecutors who are specially trained to handle all aspects of these highly technical crimes.

The Unit is comprised of two prosecutors, an administrative assistant, and the DUI Processing Center Coordinator. It is responsible for prosecuting approximately 650 DUI cases each year, many of which involve serious bodily injury or death. The Unit is focused on accomplishing five critical goals:

Protecting our communities and citizens
Fiercely representing the victims of vehicular crimes
Ensuring that offenders are held accountable
Reducing recidivism through treatment and rehabilitation
Employing pre-emptive, proactive enforcement to raise awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs

The DUI/Homicide by Motor Vehicle Unit accomplishes these goals by taking a hands-on team approach to investigating, preparing and prosecuting these cases. The Unit’s prosecutors work with all municipal police departments in Lackawanna County, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police, to reconstruct fatal crash scenes and gather evidence. Prosecutors are on call 24/7 and often respond to the scenes of serious crashes at all hours to work with officers in their investigations, and ensure effective prosecution of these very serious crimes.

The DUI Processing Center, which is located in the Lackawanna County Courthouse, is open throughout the week and on weekends to assist local police departments with processing DUI offenders. The Center is a critical resource that provides uniform processing of all offenders, and an opportunity for local officers to quickly return to their primary patrol duties.

The DUI/Homicide by Motor Vehicle Unit coordinates and oversees sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols with nearly 100 percent participation by all municipalities in the county. Checkpoints are used to deter drinking and driving, and to increase public awareness of its dangers. Roving patrols are increased patrols randomly conducted throughout Lackawanna County to detect impaired drivers and enforce DUI laws. Each of these tools has been critical in furthering the goals of the District Attorney’s Office and has led to numerous arrests and successful prosecutions. Most importantly, the Unit’s efforts have saved lives.

In cooperation with the DA’s Office, the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas developed and implemented a DUI Court. The goal of this specialty court is to incorporate intensive treatment and accountability into the sentences of repeat DUI offenders to ensure that they get sober. DUI Court is designed to address the underlying issue of alcoholism, improve the offender’s lifestyle, and prevent the offender from committing further DUI crimes. The program has successfully transformed the lives of many offenders and has served as a national model for other states.

Under Powell’s leadership, the DUI/Homicide by Motor Vehicle Unit continues to seek new and innovative ways to stop impaired driving and make our communities safer.

DUI Homicide by Motor Vehicle Unit