In which city in Louisiana are the most people arrested for drunk driving?

SHREVEPORT, LA – I recently heard some shocking statistics about drunk driving in Louisiana and I wondered why Shreveport ranks so high in this dangerous category.

Judge for yourself what the numbers show. Shreveport police made 625 DWI arrests in 2023, and there have been 367 DWI arrests so far this year.

The numbers from other large communities show much lower numbers. Does this mean Shreveport has more drunk drivers? Or does this mean we are doing a better job of enforcing drunk driving laws?

Police Chief Wayne Smith says his officers are making this a top priority and are routinely conducting DWI safety checks throughout the city. He says drunk driving has a direct impact on the number of traffic crashes in our community each year.

These statistics were presented to the Shreveport City Council:

In 2023, 625 people were arrested for drunk driving in Shreveport. So far this year, 367 people have been arrested for drunk driving.

Baton Rouge Police report 454 DWI arrests for 2023. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office reports 338 DWI arrests for the same year. Alexandria shows 133 arrests, with 128 in Monroe and 117 by the New Orleans Police Department.

It comes as a surprise that these numbers apply to New Orleans.

But LSU tracks DWI arrests statewide and has the data broken down by parish. In all of 2023, there were more than 13,000 DWI arrests statewide.

These are the top 5 parishes with the most drunk driving arrests:

5. 759 Calcasieu Parish

4. 858 Caddo Parish

3. 932 Jefferson Parish

2. 910 St. Tammany Parish

1. 1048 East Baton Rouge Parish

In 2023, there were 622 DWI arrests in Bossier Parish, 104 DWI arrests in DeSoto Parish, 30 DWI arrests in Red River Parish, 122 DWI arrests in Webster Parish, and 38 DWI arrests in Bienville Parish.