Indicator Description
This indicator includes arrests for alcohol- and drug-related violations, including driving under the influence, liquor law violations, public drunkenness, illicit drug trafficking, and illicit drug possession. You may want to include arrests from both the adult and juvenile justice systems and track these rates over time.

The number of arrests is an indicator of the police response to drug and alcohol violations. Arrest violations reflect several things:

• The type of federal, state, and local statutes.
• The degree of law enforcement targeted at drug and alcohol use.
• The number of violations being committed.

What to Measure

• The number of arrests per 100,000 of the appropriate population. For example, number of arrests for driving or operating a vehicle while intoxicated per 100,000 population of driving age (16 years of age or older).
• Alcohol- and drug-related arrests as a percentage of total arrests.
• Loss of driver's licenses or liquor licenses.

Where to Find Local Data

• National Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR).
• State/local police: Make sure that you get data from all groups that make arrests for example, precinct constables, alcoholic beverage control commission, FDA, and FBI.
• State Department of Juvenile Justice.
• National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Interpretation Guidelines

• Arrest data indicators are sensitive to the type of local statutes and the level of police enforcement as well as the level of substance use problems in the community. As such, great care must be taken when interpreting changes in arrest rates.
• When tracking arrest data over a period of time, it is often impossible to determine if an increase or decrease in arrests is related to changes in police enforcement, community problems, community efforts to reduce use, or to some combination of the three. It is important to involve local police departments in order to arrive at the most valid interpretation of your community's data.
• There are only a small number of arrests compared to the frequency of the offenses. For example, the number of arrests for driving under the influence is only the tip of the iceberg compared to how frequently people drive while intoxicated.

California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center.

Maine Office of Substance Abuse.