ALBANY, N.Y. -- No second chances for drunk drivers -- that is the new policy in Albany County, announced Friday.
The policy deals with people who have already been convicted of drunk driving in the past.
And in New York in recent years, if you have been convicted you are required to have an ignition interlock device. It's essentially a breathalyzer, connected to your car, that you blow into -- and if you've been drinking, your car will not start.
People find ways to circumvent this device, or they just don't install it on their car.
Last year, more than 100 people in Albany County circumvented the process. Sometimes that can have disastrous results.
So the DA is now saying to those defendants: no more plea deals, or pleading down to other charges. Albany County will prosecute those offenders who sidestep their interlock devices, to the fullest extent possible.
The DA says it is just one way to make this summer, a bit safer.
Through a new state funding line, the county will also have more money this year to send cops and probation officers to check on drunk driving convicts, and make sure they have their devices installed and working properly.
District Attorney David Soares says he simply can't see this crime go unpunished any longer.