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Wednesday Sunrise Weather 5/22/13
Law Enforcement Finding More Beer in Coolers in Work Trucks 9/27/86
Jennifer Samp
jsamp@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News
September 27, 2012
Winkler County - Its an every day morning routine for some oil field workers, but to Winkler County Sheriff George Keely, its a recipe for disaster.
“Everyday these crews and truck drivers walk out of convenient stores carrying 30 packs of beer and sticking them in coolers full of ice before work,” he said.
He says it’s not against the law to have beer in a cooler, but it becomes his problem when drivers consume the alcohol and then get behind the wheel.
“Later in the day sometimes or in the evenings we'll end up stopping the vehicle,” he said.
The Sheriff says its also a concern if the employees are drinking on the job, he says most companies have policies that do not allow alcohol on the job site, but its very hard to regulate.
“They will have two beers left in the cooler and eight beers left on the car floor and of course the driver is intoxicated and he'll tell you he is coming back from work,” Keely said.
Keely says there is a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving in Winkler County, and if you're caught his deputies are ready to take you to jail.
“That’s the good ending the bad ending is head on collisions and people on the high way,” he said