Pierce County law enforcement officers busted an underage party late Saturday, arresting 29 teens on alcohol-related charges and launching an investigation of the parents and teens who hosted the celebration.

Fourteen officers working on the county's Party Intervention Patrol went to the graduation party in the 700 block of Seventh Street Southeast shortly before midnight Saturday. The officers had spotted several high school students - beers in hand - head from their cars to the party.

At the house, officers found 49 teens, ages 16 to 18, who were ramping up the festivities at a pool-and-garage party, the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force reported today. Most of the youths were from Puyallup High School.

Officers found alcohol, marijuana and two beer bongs. They also found red cups set up to play the popular drinking game, beer pong.

The task force reports the mother and father of two of the teens were at home, asleep, when officers arrived. The parents and the siblings who hosted the party face charges of providing a premise for underage drinking, which is a gross misdemeanor.

Officers arrested 29 teens on suspicion of being minors in possession of alcohol. They were taken to a community center and provided with alcohol and drug information. Some were given referrals to substance abuse agencies, the task force reported.

In addition to the party patrol, officers were out on a DUI emphasis patrol dedicated to a 19-year-old man killed nearly two years ago by a teenage drunken driver.

The 27 officers who worked the emphasis patrol stopped 310 drivers for unsafe driving. Of those, 20 were arrested on suspicion of impaired driving. One of the arrested drivers was 16.

In addition, six drivers were arrested for outstanding warrants and five on suspicion of being a minor in possession of alcohol.

The Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force is launching a DUI-party emphasis patrol this weekend.

About 40 offficers from area departments will work together in two teams to target drunken drivers. They will do it in honor of Timothy "Beau" Bockmann, who was killed in 2007 when he was hit by a drunken driver who was leaving a bonfire party.

The full release is posted after the jump.

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State troopers and officers who specialize in inspecting commercial vehicles participated in a three-day, nationwide emphasis last week.

The "Road Check 2009" occurred June 2-4 and was sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance as a way to raise truck safety awareness.

The Washington State Patrol's Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers, Commercial Vehicle Division troopers and patrol troopers participated in the event. They had 43 scale stations open.

The statewide results were:

* 1,748 vehicles inspected.

* 431 vehicles placed out of service.

* 41 drivers placed out of service.

* 2,721 violations issued (or 1.5 violations per inspection).

* 43 record of duty status violations (29 hours of service and 14 false record of duty status).

* Two drivers found to be suspected of operating under the influence of alcohol.

* Nine driver's license violations (three suspended, one license withdrawn and five improper endorsements).

* 20 Seatbelt violations.

* 798 CVSA inspection decals were issued to vehicles passing the inspection process.

Officers from seven Pierce County law enforcement agencies and the Washington State Patrol will again be looking for unbuckled drivers who are traveling the roadways at night.

The officers hit the streets for the spring nighttime seat belt patrols tonight. They'll be part of a statewide contingent of cops from 70 law enforcement agencies looking for violators between today and June 7.

Law enforcement officials target drivers in the evening and night time hours because the rate of people getting killed at night in traffic accidents is four times higher than during the day, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

As part of the spring enforcement campaign, an aerial banner reminding drivers to "Click it or Ticket" will fly over the Tacoma Dome during Sunday's commencement ceremony for Pacific Lutheran University. The banner will be circling overhead between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

This isn't the first nighttime Click It or Ticket enforcement.

The first large-scale nighttime seat belt emphasis took place in May 2006, with 75 law enforcement agencies and the Washington State Patrol participating statewide, the commission reported.

The commission reports the first enforcement campaign netted:

* 4,671 people who were not properly buckled or had an unbuckled child in the vehicle.

* 706 motorists suspected of driving recklessly, aggressively or without a license.

* 325 suspected impaired drivers.

* 182 drivers arrested for other criminal behavior.

* Eight stolen cars.

The nighttime campaigns have occurred periodically ever since.

The results of one round of patrols this fall can be found here.

Pierce County law enforcement officers arrested 25 suspected drunken drivers during a pre-St. Patrick's Day emphasis patrol Saturday.

The officers stopped 463 motorists during the emphasis in the City of Puyallup and surrounding area. In addition to the 25 suspected drunken drivers, officers arrested six drivers on drug-related violations.

Some highlights of the night, as reported by the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force:

* One impaired driver was found passed out in the drive through of a fast food restaurant.

* Officers stopped another driver after he tried to drive the wrong way into a major intersection.

* An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being a minor in possession of alcohol after the teen had been drinking at a friend's home.

* One person was driven to Enumclaw because he was wanted there on a $20,000 warrant for previous DUIs.

* Officers arrested one driver who's blood alcohol limit was more than twice the legal limit of .08. The driver also had an unrestrained child in the car.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board participated in the emphasis by sending two officers out to conduct compliance checks at six bars and taverns. Two - Main Garden Restaurant and Wayne's Inn Bar and Grill in Puyallup - received warnings for inappropriately serving alcohol to intoxicated people, the task force reported.

Law enforcement officers ticketed 222 speeders in Tacoma last weekend as part of a special emphasis patrol.

Officers involved in the 10-hour emphasis focused on parts of the city where there are higher numbers of speed-related crashes that result in injuries to drivers, passengers and pedestrians, the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force reported. The areas included North Pearl Street, Portland Avenue and South Tacoma Way, streets that are fed by freeway exits and business areas where the speed limit is 25 mph.

The officers stopped 439 drivers and ticketed 222 speeders. They also cited:

● 85 drivers for driving without proof of valid insurance.

● 41 drivers and passengers for not wearing their seat belts or wearing them improperly.

● 27 drivers for driving with a suspended or revoked license. They also cited teens who were in violation of their intermediate driver's licenses.

The officers made 11 arrests. Those people were picked up for misdemeanor and felony
warrants or other criminal violations. Officers found no impaired drivers, the task force reported.

"People slow down when they pass several of us writing tickets; then, speed up when we're out of sight," said Tacoma police Sgt. Tom White, the law enforcement coordinator for the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force-sponsored patrol last weekend. "We call it the 'halo effect'. But Saturday drivers had a halo over their heads all day long. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the city was saturated with traffic enforcement officers."

The special emphasis was part of the statewide X-52 program, a campaign to make sure law enforcement officers are constantly enforcing the speed and DUI laws.

Similar patrols are scheduled in Puyallup and Bonney Lake.

Extra Washington State Patrol troopers will be on the roads Sunday, looking for speeders, aggressive motorists and suspected drunken drivers heading home from Super Bowl activities.

In Pierce and Thurston counties, the State Patrol will be at full staffing, plus have some troopers working overtime to look for speeders. Troopers will be fully staffed in King County. An additional 12 troopers will work overtime over the weekend.

Troopers ask drivers to not drive if they drink alcoholic beverages at a Super Bowl party.

"We don't want to spoil anyone's fun," said State Patrol Chief John Batiste in a press release. "But getting in a collision is not the way to celebrate a major sporting event. Have a designated driver, a taxi, or call a friend."

Pierce County law enforcement officers will be patrolling east Pierce County streets this weekend, searching for drunken drivers and parties where underage drinking is occurring.

They are going after the underage drinking parties because those can lead to deadly crashes and "contribute to future generations of alcohol-dependent adult drivers," the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force reported.

"This is a problem we are trying to get ahead of," said Bonney Lake Police Chief Mike Mitchell in a press release.

Looking for the underage drinking parties is a newer approach for the task force's monthly DUI emphasis patrols. Typically, a group of officers targets a specific area for drunken drivers.

This weekend, a team of officers will patrol Lakewood for impaired drivers. Another team will respond to tips and complaints about loud parties, particularly at homes in east Pierce County. The task force has data that indicates there's been a high number of party complaints in the east part of the county for the past three years.

"Any kid breaking alcohol and drug laws will be arrested and taken to a community center where chemical dependency professionals will determine if they have an alcohol problem and if so, where they can get help," the task force reported. "When their parents come to pick them up, trained volunteer parents will be available to provide up-to-date information about teen drinking and things they can do to stop it."

In 2007, 12 impaired teenage drivers were killed on Pierce County's roads. Teenage passengers also were killed.

Pierce County law enforcement officers ticketed 288 speeders during an emphasis patrol earlier this month.

The 36 officers from different agencies focused their attention on State Routes 7 and 512, Meridian and 176th Streets. Those streets have a significant number of speed-related crashes, the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force reported.

During the Jan. 3 emphasis, officers stopped 558 drivers. Besides the speeding tickets, they issued 183 citations for unsafe driving. That includes aggressive driving, driving with a suspended license or driving in violation of the intermediate driver's license restrictions.

Officers started their speed patrols at 8 a.m. that Saturday. The roads still had ice on them so officers initially focused on stopping drivers who were going to fast for the conditions.

"The majority of speed-related crashes involve people not adjusting their speed for inclement weather, heavy traffic or other unexpected slowdowns on the road," said Mike Mitchell, chief of the Bonney Lake Police Department, in a press release. "Many drivers were starting to get the hang of driving on slick roads...we saw a lot of careful drivers out there ... but others were driving ten and over as if there was no tomorrow."

Area law enforcement officers focused on the same section of east Pierce County in 2006 and 2007. Nearly 15,000 tickets were issued during the speed reduction project.

Washington State Patrol troopers wrote 439 tickets to people who were not properly buckled up in Pierce County during a recent nighttime seat belt emphasis.

Statewide, law enforcement officers issued 2,491 seat belt citations during the enforcement campaign between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission reported this week. Another 94 drivers were issued tickets for misuse of a seat belt.

A grant from the state commission funded the patrols. More than 60 agencies throughout the state, including several in Pierce County, participated. During the emphasis, officers were out on the roadways at night, looking for unbuckled drivers.

Besides the seat belt tickets, law enforcement officers and State Patrol troopers working in Pierce County also arrested or cited:

* 20 suspected drunken drivers.

* Six people on drug-related charges.

* 96 speeders.

* Six aggressive drivers.

* 130 uninsured drivers.

* 57 drivers who were out on the roads with a suspended or revoked license.

They also picked up two people with felony warrants and 18 with misdemeanor warrants.

An extra 10 Washington State Patrol troopers will be on the roads of Pierce and Thurston counties today as part of stepped up patrols for the holiday season.

The agency is putting more troops on the road Friday and Saturday nights throughout the month. They are targeting those nights because that's when most holiday parties are held, the State Patrol reported.

The troopers brought in to beef up staffing will work on overtime. They complement the troopers who are working their normal shifts. The troopers will focus on finding drunken drivers.

In Pierce and Thurston counties, an extra eight troopers were on the road Dec. 13. An additional 10 will be on the streets tonight and Dec. 27. Three extra troopers will work Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

In King County, troopers will be conducting DUI emphasis patrols throughout the season.

During last year's holiday season, there were 31 deaths caused by drunken drivers.

The State Patrol urges drivers to report impaired drivers. They also ask that you do not drive if you've been drinking.

Twenty law enforcement officers from throughout Pierce County will be looking for drunken drivers in Lakewood on Saturday night.

They are partnering up for a monthly DUI emphasis sponsored by the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force. They'll be assisted this time by Pierce County tow truck drivers.

The tow truck drivers will be taking part in the annual Tacoma-Pierce County Tow and Go program.

"Any drinking drivers who have not made plans for a safe ride home will discover that the task force has made plans for them," said Bonney Lake Police Chief Mike Mitchell, who chairs the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force.

The Holiday Tow and Go program, a partnership between the local DUI Task Force and the Pierce County Towers Association, will be in effect through New Year's Day.

Here's how the program works: Bartenders at any of the county's 600 bars and taverns can call one of 16 tow companies when a patron needs a ride home. The tow is free.

"Initially, we thought the downturn in the economy might prevent some of the tow companies from participating," said Bill Sullivan, owner of Liberty Towing, in a press release. "But the towers dug deeper into their pockets to make this program happen. In fact, we have more towers participating this
year than last."

The participating tow companies are: Burn's, Bill's, Gene's, Tacoma, Lakewood, Western, Automotive, Emerald, Bline, J & J, Lucky, A-1, Puyallup, Engle's, Bay View and Liberty.