1-888-GET-A-DWI is a service that the Windham County Sheriff's Department hosts for as an initial point of contact for the state-wide toll free reporting system.

The program started under the direction of former Sheriff William Graham and the Vermont Sheriff's Association beginning in 1999.

Shortly after the start of the program, it was realized that a high percentage of the calls received were from celluar phone subscribers. In conjunction with Cellular One®, the cellular feature *DWI was added to all cellular subscribers within the state of Vermont.

The Vermont Governor's Highway Safety Program in association with the Vermont Sheriff's Association continues the sponsorship of this valuable tool to Vermont's anti-drunk driving campaign.

Callers to the service can provide information about known or suspected impaired operator's state-wide. The dispatcher here at the Windham County Sheriff's Department will gather vital information regarding the location, description, direction of travel, and more. The dispatcher will also act as a pass-through for getting the information to the patrol vehicles of police professionals in the region where the offense is, or is about to occur.

To date, the service has assisted in the removal of a large number of drunk drivers, who otherwise might have been left to threaten the safety of the unsuspecting public.

Tip information from this program have been processed and transferred to all forms of law enforcement agencies, including State agencies, Municipal agencies, and various County Sheriff Departments. There was also a report from a truck driver via a cell phone which allowed Federal authorities at the Canadian Border to detain a suspected driver until a local law enforcement officer could arrive and determine that the operator was fatgued but not otherwise impaired.

To contact the department to report a drunken driver, you can either contact the department directly at 802-365-4949 or call 1-888-GET-A-DWI (1-888-438-2394)