Jessamine County law enforcement is gearing up for New Years just in case there is a change in the trend that has occurred the past two years.

Sgt. Scott Harvey of the Nicholasville Police Department said that New Year’s is statistically low in drunk driving arrests.

“The major holidays for drunk driving are Labor Day and Fourth of July,” Harvey said.

For the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, drunk driving is the highest right before Christmas – when office parties and social gatherings take place, Chief Deputy Allen Peel of the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Nicholasville Police Department patrol division has twice as many officers during New Year’s. The sheriff’s office will also have a full squad working, Peel said. 

“It seems people are pre-planning for that night,” Harvey said. “In the past two years, we have only had three drunk driving arrests.”

The Jessamine County Sheriff Department also had low numbers of drinking and driving cases during New Year’s — one arrest each of the past two years.

“We are going to be out, and we are going to enforce the laws,” Peel said. “Hopefully people will use common sense and not drink and drive.”

Drunk driving incidents during this particular holiday has stayed the same throughout the years, Harvey said.

People usually plan ahead for the holiday and get a safe way home before they drink.  

“Now I just wish people planned ahead the other 364 days of the year,” Harvey said. 

Jessamine County Law enforcement urges those partying the old year away to plan ahead and have a designated driver.

“We just want people to make it into 2017,” Harvey said. “We aren’t out there just to make arrests.”