State police to target impaired drivers in Grand Traverse area June 12

Extra troopers will fan out across Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Benzie counties on June 12 as Michigan State Police step up impaired-driving enforcement in the Traverse City area. The operation is aimed at drivers who get behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs, a risk state police say grows as summer traffic and visitors fill local roads after dark.

The Traverse City Post, No. 75, is based at 218 W. Fourteenth St. in Traverse City and covers the three-county region. Drivers moving through Traverse City at night should expect a stronger police presence across the post’s patrol area, with troopers focusing on the roads where summer traffic is heaviest and impaired driving is most likely to put other motorists at risk.

Michigan law makes it a crime for drivers 21 and older to operate with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. For drivers under 21, the legal limit is .02. A BAC of .17 or higher brings enhanced penalties, and state police say those thresholds matter because alcohol and drug-related driving offenses still lead to tens of thousands of arrests each year in Michigan.

The June 12 crackdown comes against a grim backdrop. Alcohol- and drug-related fatal crashes account for about 40.7% of traffic crash fatalities in Michigan, a share that keeps impaired driving near the center of the state’s traffic-safety effort. The extra patrols are meant to stop dangerous driving before it ends in a crash, injury or arrest.

State police have been using more visible enforcement and education campaigns across Michigan, including efforts such as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The June 12 operation is part of that broader strategy, which also leans on five-year crash trend data to identify counties for overtime impaired-driving grants. In 2024, 48 law enforcement agencies received that funding for targeted enforcement.

The agency has also expanded training for drug impairment. Michigan adopted the Drug Recognition Expert program in 2009 and held its first DRE school in 2011. Fifteen officers statewide completed Drug Recognition Expert School in March 2026, giving police another tool to identify drivers impaired by drugs as well as alcohol.

For Grand Traverse County residents and visitors heading into Traverse City, the message is direct: expect more troopers, expect closer scrutiny, and do not assume a night drive home will go unnoticed if alcohol or drugs are involved.