WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Members of the Destin Legieza Foundation have come together to offer a tool to fight impaired driving across the state.
The effort has been inspired by Brentwood police officer Destin Legieza, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver in his patrol car in June 2020.
“By getting one drunk driver off the road, you may have saved a family of five in the next car," foundation president Michael Fay said. "Destin was just on his way back to his department to end his shift when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver and killed."
Over Labor Day weekend, the organization launched a DUI trailer that assists police agencies with sobriety checkpoints. The trailer helped at one Spring Hill checkpoint where authorities arrested six people. According to Spring Hill police, two were arrested for DUI, two were arrested for narcotics and two other arrests were traffic-related.
The DUI trailer will soon be a free resource for any law enforcement agency across the state. The idea is to help smaller agencies that might not have the budget for DUI checkpoints.
"It should be able to get the message out to the public throughout the state that law enforcement takes this as a very serious subject,” Fay added.
In addition to the DUI trailer, the Legieza Foundation will offer free checkpoint training for officers, even covering the cost of rooms and meals.
Although Legieza cannot physically be at these checkpoints, Fay said that he wants to make sure the third-generation law enforcement officer would never be forgotten.
"That's a life that could have been prevented at the establishment they were drinking at, [or] by the person getting behind the wheel," Fay said. "By doing DUI checkpoints, we can stop that from happening."
Equipment for the DUI trailer will be paid for by refundable grant money from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. The foundation is currently looking for sponsors to help pay for that equipment upfront.
The Legieza Foundation hopes to have the trailer ready to go across the state by the end of the year. Any agencies interested in using the trailer can visit the Legieza Foundation’s website or call (615) 861-9795.
