Surrey BC: Serving Up Fries and Jail For DUI

Warning to anyone driving drunk in Surrey this weekend: That late-night, post-pub burger just might come with a side of 24-hour suspension.

Surrey RCMP have cooked up the idea of sitting in the drive-through windows of fast-food joints after hearing one too many stories about the wild behaviour of intoxicated drivers weaving their way past for a late-night burger.

And, unable to resist themselves, they dubbed it Project WULF - or "Would U Like Fries," according to spokesman Sgt. Roger Morrow.

Surrey RCMP Const. Brian Nanton holds french fries at a restaurant window. Project WULF ('Would U Like Fries?') uses undercover officers to catch drunk drivers.

Surrey RCMP Const. Brian Nanton holds french fries at a restaurant window. Project WULF ('Would U Like Fries?') uses undercover officers to catch drunk drivers.

Police won't say exactly when or in which establishments they might be hidden, because although the participating restaurants are crazy about the program, they don't want to scare off customers, Morrow told The Province yesterday.

He said this weekend will mark the fourth time out for the project.

The idea was born after traffic officers heard stories about people heading from clubs and house parties to drive-through windows in no condition to be at the wheel, Morrow said.

"The traffic guys, to their credit, got to chatting and have taken up the challenge," he said.

The officers, who wear plainclothes but stop short of donning restaurant uniforms, sit inside near the windows "out of the way of the people busy doing their business, making burgers and so on."

If the fast-food workers tip the officers to drivers with slurred speech or the aroma of stale alcohol on their breath as they drive by and chat - "in the cool, clear, early-morning hours, it wafts around" - drivers are stopped as they pull away and checked by a second officer who gets the heads-up via radio.

Officers simply confirm the workers' observations, Morrow said, and don't involve them in court proceedings.

"The merchants have bought in to the program and find it very entertaining," said Cpl. Lorne Lecker of the traffic section. "They love it."

John Banovich, spokesman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Greater Vancouver chapter, said the idea is "brilliant."

"We're quite familiar with the project," Banovich said. "We know one officer was responsible for 10 suspensions and two impaired-driving charges over two weekends. It definitely works."

Banovich said that officer was stationed in a Surrey McDonald's.

He said officers are also looking for people who are impaired owing to marijuana, cocaine and crystal-meth use.

"What we know is that more people are driving while impaired by drugs other than alcohol," he said.

Banovich said he would also like police to target people coming out of bars to ensure they don't drive.

"Let's consider that, as long as it doesn't infringe on an individual's right to privacy, let's address it right at the source," he said.

Police do sometimes stake out the exits to bars and make roadside checks, but Banovich said it is not common.

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