Decorah Police Department increasing patrol around 4th of July holiday

Because of the high fatality rate on highways over recent Fourth of July holidays, there will be additional law enforcement patrols on Iowa's roads this holiday.

The most recent information indicates 146 people were killed in crashes during the 2015 Fourth of July holiday in which at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.  In Iowa there were five fatalities during 2015's Fourth of July weekend -- three of which were alcohol-related -- and five fatalities in 2016 -- four of which were alcohol-related.

The Decorah Police Department will be patrolling during the Fourth of July weekend. It is reminding the public to drive sober or get pulled over.