Getting a DWI citation can cost you thousands of dollars and cause you to lose your driver’s license. Now, it could put you in the spotlight on a social networking site.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon recently began “tweeting” names of people charged and/or convicted of a DWI.

The DA’s office began using a Twitter account several months ago to get information out to the public about the office and courts, but it wasn’t until recently when the “No Refusal” program went into effect, in which the DA’s office is able to conduct a blood test on those who refuse to take a breathalyzer test, that they decided to use Twitter as a way to deter people from drinking and driving.

Assistant district attorney Warren Diepraam said during the No Refusal periods, which occur on most holidays, the office would get numerous calls from the media wanting to know how many were arrested for DWI.

That’s when he realized it would be much easier to get that information out quickly and be able to reach everyone by using a site like Twitter.

“I thought, we’re already using Twitter, why don’t we put it (names) on Twitter so people can get it right away,” said assistant district attorney Warren Diepraam. “And it snowballed from there.”

Since the tweets began near mid-December, Diepraam says the number of followers on the DA’s Twitter page has skyrocketed, going from around 75 to 600.

And using Twitter is just one part of the DA’s office strategy to combat drunk driving.

“The DA has a very aggressive DWI campaign because it’s our top crime in numbers and it’s the number one killer of people in Montgomery County,” said Diepraam.

Montgomery County, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, has a higher rate of DWI offenses than many other counties in Texas.

“We’ve looked at other stats from DPS and we’re one of the leading counties. I came from Harris County and looking at it in terms of numbers, our DWI numbers and fatalities are 50 percent higher per 1,000 people. We have a significant problem,” said Diepraam.

He added that 7 out of 10 people who suffer a violent death in Montgomery County are killed in a motor vehicle accident.

Diepraam said that while the response so far has been “overwhelmingly positive” and media nationwide has taken notice of the program, there are some who have doubts.

“There are a few people that are skeptical about it, like it won’t make a difference. But the bottom line is, it is public record and there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s done by media all the time,” he said.

He also responded to those who feel the office should publish only those convicted of a DWI rather than just charged.

“Presumption of innocence is involved in the trial. So we are basically tweeting probable cause to an arrest,” he said.

He added that 95 percent of people arrested for DWI are convicted.

Diepraam said he believes this is the first time a DA’s office has published DWI arrests on Twitter and the office is planning to expand its internet resources with a Web site and Facebook page and focus on other crimes as well in the hopes that it will help cut down on drinking and driving and other crimes.

“No business for us is good business,” he said. “And that’s what we’re hoping for.”

For more information, visit www.twitter.com/MontgomeryTXDAO.

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