Aspen’s DUIs lowest in 5 years

Driving under the influence offenses in Aspen are the lowest on record in the past five years, but the notoriously liquor-friendly town isn’t out of the woods yet.

The state of Colorado defines a DUI as driving or operating a motor vehicle while mentally or physically impaired due to consumption of alcoholic beverages or drugs/narcotics. 

According to the Aspen Police Department’s 2024 annual report, only 24 DUI arrests occurred in town last year. This is down from 41 in 2023, 39 in 2022, 54 in 2021, 27 in 2020, and 63 in 2019, records show.

Chief of Police Kim Ferber said the number of DUI arrests made by the team annually is viewed as “relatively stable,” but the team is pushing toward even lower numbers.

“Our goal is to eliminate impaired driving completely,” she said.

Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn said that since Ferber’s arrival in April 2023, the Aspen Police have been increasing their daily foot and bike patrol, in addition to their dedicated traffic patrols, to increase community safety. Linn also noted that Aspen Police last year trained its first drug recognition expert, Patrol Officer Sarah Freihon. Additionally, Aspen Police participates in state grant-funded high visibility enforcement periods, meaning increased patrols oriented around major holidays that coincide with higher alcohol consumption.

Those holidays include St. Patrick’s Day, the Super Bowl, and upcoming Cinco de Mayo.

But holidays are far from the only factor contributing to alcohol use in the valley. Becky Gordon and Kim Reil are the executive director and clinical director, respectively, of A Way Out, a nonprofit based in Carbondale that assists individuals in overcoming substance use disorder. They confirmed the number of locals served has increased by 20-30% each year over the past five years. 

“Alcohol is consistently the primary substance of abuse every year by a significant margin,” Gordon and Reil said. “A Way Out sees more legal issues, hospitalizations, domestic violence, and deaths related to alcohol than anything else.”

According to the both of them, methamphetamine, heroin, and recently Fentanyl are also notable issues in the valley — but to a lesser extent than alcohol. While the primary factors of alcohol use are widely accepted to be biology, genetics, early exposure, trauma, and mental health, they each also credited Aspen’s “party culture” for playing a role in the problematic use of the substance. 

Despite the drop in DUI arrests in 2024, however, The Aspen Times previously reported in December the Aspen Police still recorded over twice as many DUIs per capita than the state of Colorado in the past five years.