Bodi defends DUI Van

Liquor Commissioner Mark Bodi writes in to the Concord Monitor this morning to defend his department's recent use of $422,000 in federal funds to buy a van, complete with satellite television:

The paper's comment that the command center television would "allow agents to watch the news while waiting to process drunken drivers," is inaccurate. The television screen and satellite capabilities will be used only in cases of actual emergencies when law enforcement personnel must be aware of rapidly changing events, such as severe weather or critical regional or national news. This same type of equipment (and satellite TV programming) is routinely used by other states and widely used within many federal agencies. New Hampshire's recent flood and tornado tragedies are good examples of how this vehicle could be thoughtfully and economically repurposed and deployed for emergency service needs.

Bodi goes on to detail how many people have died in drunk driving accidents, nationally and in New Hampshire. Whether a big screen TV and satellite programming is an efficient way to reduce those deaths is up to those who oversee the Liquor Commission's budget.