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APD Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit Helping to Save Lives

APD Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit Helping to Save Lives

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In an instant, Enrique Aguirre of Amarillo lost five members of his family on Dec. 22, 2021. The family was out looking at Christmas lights when their vehicle was hit head-on by an impaired driver who was later sentenced to 45 years in prison for the fatal accident.

Aguirre’s heartbreaking and tragic story is far too common in Amarillo – the problem of impaired driving.

“These things occur, and they occur a lot,” Aguirre said during a media and stakeholder briefing this month at the Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation.

The event, which included Andrea’s Project, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Amarillo Police Department (APD), highlighted the combined efforts of the Amarillo community to help prevent impaired driving.

APD’s participation in this community-wide initiative features the Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit (IDEU), which consists of Unit Commander Sgt. Eric Vaughn and APD officers Chaz Garrison, Micah Heagen, Matthew Dixon and Michael Campbell.

Since debuting in September, this unit (devoted solely to impaired driving enforcement) has made a significant impact.

The numbers tell the story:

  • From September 18 to December 17 of 2025, IDEU made 242 arrests for impaired driving. There were 130 arrests by APD in the same time period in 2024.
  • From September 18 to December 17 of 2024, APD had 130 impaired driving cases sent for prosecution. Since Sept. 18 of this year (the debut of the IDEU), 242 cases have been sent for prosecution.
  • APD made 513 impaired driving arrests in 2024. As of December 17 of this year, APD already had 652 such arrests.
  • Since the start of APD’s IDEU on September 18, APD ranks first statewide in LEADRS, an online data reporting system that streamlines the DWI report writing for Texas law enforcement officers. The top three officers in the state rankings are APD officers.

Heagen, a member of the IDEU, was the second officer on the scene on Dec. 22, 2021, when Aguirre lost five members of his family.

“That event was what really motivated me to do this,” Heagen said. “I cannot imagine what it was like to experience that kind of loss. It was, though, what inspired me to make this my mission.”The creation of the APD’s IDEU is but one resource, along with public awareness and organization’s such as Andrea’s Project and TxDOT, that can help prevent the problem of impaired driving in Amarillo.

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City of Amarillo: Property Taxes Rebated Per Year by Agreement Type 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts of property taxes rebated per year over the last five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. There were no Chapter 380 property tax rebates in the first two years listed. The total amount increased slightly each year, with a more significant increase in the most recent year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Chapter 311 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$574,947 

$591,249 

$821,350 

Chapter 380 

$0 

$0 

$37,387 

$39,172 

$61,013 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the amount of property taxes rebated in the past five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. For each fiscal year there is vertical column, comprised of two stacked columns, each of which representing the different agreement types. 

City of Amarillo: Number of Tax Abatements Granted Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The 2020/21 and 2021/22 fiscal years each had four active abatements, 2022/23 had five, and 2023/24 and 2024/25 each had seven. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Active Abatements Per Year 

4 

4 

5 

7 

7 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the number of active abatements each year. Each year has one column, with the height indicating number of active abatements in that year.

Amount of Taxes Abated Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts abated over the past five fiscal years from Chapter 312 tax abatement agreements. Each fiscal year shows a larger dollar amount abated, with minor growth over the first three years, a higher increase in the fourth year, and minor growth again in the fifth year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Taxes Abated by City of Amarillo 

$510,061 

$623,017 

$679,849 

$965,261 

$1,143,899 

Total Abated by All Entities Including City of Amarillo 

$1,569,512 

$1,926,332 

$2,103,099 

$2,884,936 

$2,959,496 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount of taxes abated over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount abated. The bar representing taxes abated by the City of Amarillo is sightly offset to the side of the bar representing the amount abated by all participating tax entities for each fiscal year. This shows that the amount abated by the City of Amarillo is a part of the total amount abated by all entities.

City of Amarillo: Taxes Rebated Per Year by Type 

Overview 

This chart shows the dollar amounts rebated by the City of Amarillo from economic development incentive agreements over the past five fiscal years. Each year is broken down by rebate type, including property tax rebates, hotel occupancy tax rebates, and sales tax rebates. Each fiscal year shows a slight increase in total dollars rebated, with a more drastic increase in the most recent fiscal year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Property Tax Rebates 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$612,334 

$630,421 

$882,363 

Hotel Occupancy Tax Rebates 

$686,747 

$753,112 

$794,828 

$871,423 

$808,348 

Sales Tax Rebates 

$0 

$21,046 

$55,528 

$45,881 

$368,716 

 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount rebated by the City of Amarillo for each type of tax rebate over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. The different rebate types are stacked vertically in each fiscal year, with the height representing the total dollar amount rebated.