TV spot featuring local officers to air starting next week

Viewers will recognize the on-camera talent - Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy Denise Ingram and Alabama State Trooper Damon Summers from the “Click It or Ticket” TV spot - but the theme has changed to the DUI “Over the Limit - Under Arrest.“

Tuesday night, local officials filmed a new DUI public service announcement at the National Guard Armory in Auburn. This DUI awareness campaign will target the key at-risk group of 17- to 34-year-old drivers, especially male drivers of that age group, in two ways.

One way is with enforcement efforts from Aug. 18 to Sept. 4, and the other way is paid media advertising on broadcast and cable system television and radio in Alabama on the dates leading up to the Labor Day weekend: Aug. 16 to 20, Aug. 23 to 27, and Aug. 30 to Sept. 3.

The Media Production Group of Auburn University’s office of information technology is responsible for developing the statewide TV/radio awareness campaign to help let Alabamians know that law enforcement will be out in full force from Aug. 16 through Sept. 3, warning drivers to not drink and drive. This year’s campaign theme is “Drunk Driving: Over the Limit - Under Arrest!“

Tom C. Lenard, producer and director, developed a creative concept to get the message out that “More than 400 people died on Alabama highways in 2005 by drivers under the influence of alcohol.“ The 17-34 driver age group was responsible for more than half of those deaths. Most of those drivers were male drivers under the influence.

The Care Research and Development Laboratory at the University of Alabama, http://care.cs.ua.edu, provided the statistics included in the spot’s message.

The ad’s message continues to inform the public that law enforcement will be out in full force looking for drivers under the influence, followed by a stern warning, “Drunk Driving in Alabama Over the Limit, You will be Arrested!“

Local law enforcement personnel and equipment of Opelika and Auburn police departments, Opelika and Auburn fire departments, Alabama Public Safety, Life Saver helicopter, Emergency Medical Services and Ledbetter Wrecking provided support to the production.

Once again, Summers and Ingram provided on-camera advice to help make Alabama roads safer in the coming holiday.

Funding was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs - Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Office with support provided by law enforcement agencies around the state.

The production was filmed at the National Guard Armory on Shug Jordan Parkway in Auburn with post-production editing in the Media Production Group Avid Edit Suite on campus. After duplicates are generated, the completed television and radio spots will be shipped to television broadcast and cable systems and radio stations around the state for airing beginning Wednesday.