Academy launched for prosecutors working drunk driving cases

The Specialized Academy for the Effective Prosecution of Drunk Drivers integrates practical exercises that simulate real-life situations from the initial investigation to the final trial, with an approach that combines legal rigor and sensitivity to victims.

By The Star Staff

The Department of Justice (DJ) and the Traffic Safety Commission (CST by its initials in Spanish) on Thursday inaugurated a specialized academy for prosecutors, with the goal of strengthening and standardizing the effective prosecution of drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres said the initiative seeks to strengthen the investigative and litigation skills of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

“We are firmly committed to preventing tragedies on the roads and are implementing specific strategies to obtain convictions that will deter this behavior, which puts the lives of all citizens at risk,” she said in a written statement.

CST Executive Director José González Mercado emphasized that driving under the influence of drugs continues to be “a serious threat to road safety.” He specified that, thanks to an amendment to an interagency agreement with the DJ, the CST allocated $1,964,666.75 in federal funds to strengthen investigations, litigation and equipment acquisition.

The Specialized Academy for the Effective Prosecution of Drunk Drivers is organized by the Institute for Training and Development of Legal Thought, directed by prosecutor Joan Hernández Marrero, in collaboration with the Specialized Unit for the Prosecution of Drunk Drivers, led by prosecutor Ruth Enid González Candelaria.

The program integrates practical exercises that simulate real-life situations from the initial investigation to the final trial, with an approach that combines legal rigor and sensitivity to victims.

“Driving under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances represents a serious threat to the lives and safety of our citizens,” Gómez Torres emphasized. “Therefore, this administration is committed to providing our prosecutors with the necessary tools to address these types of crimes firmly and sensitively.”