COEUR d'ALENE - Nearly 1,000 drunken drivers put behind bars.

That's the tally Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Mumford - a veteran of the patrol team with a keen eye for spotting the irresponsible drivers - has put away since joining the department in 1990.

Thinking about getting behind the wheel anyway?

A word of advice:

"Don't," Mumford said.

Hanging on the wall at the department's building off Government Way is Mumford's name on a plaque recognizing him for the most DUI arrests each year since 1999 - 974 total since 1991.

What's he look for?

"It's the beer cans they throw out the windows," he said.

Impaired driving is a problem that crosses all sections of Kootenai County's population. From acquaintances to strangers, from transients to the well to do, no one is exempt.

This week is National Police Week, in honor of the officers, deputies and troopers who serve to protect, and keep neighborhoods - not to mention roadways - safe.

"The way I look at it," Mumford said of his arrest total, "it's prevented potentially 1,000 people from killing somebody."

From Michigan originally, Mumford worked for the United States Coast Guard before joining the department. On his second month in training, he was involved in fatal shooting after a mentally ill person pulled a gun on Mumford and his supervisor.

"I'm kind of a unique case," he said, but choosing not to dwell on the incident. "Every traffic stop you make, every person you contact, that stuff is there. But if you let it weigh on you too much, you become ineffective."

Mumford makes 60-80 DUI arrests a year while patrolling U.S. 95, Highway 41 and all over. Those numbers don't cause him to lose faith in society though, he said. Often, DUI arrests come from responsible people making bad choices. But 1,000 arrests come in 1,000 different ways. Some soil themselves at the scene, cry, throw up, or become belligerent. Nearly all ask if they can have someone come pick them up.

"That's too late," the 51-year-old said. "When I stop you that's too late for someone to come pick you up."

Impaired driving is in the public eye much more than before. Mumford said he has even noticed fewer drunken drivers on the roadway the last few years.

Even after all these years, all the paperwork and court time after each arrest, he still prefers the 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift.

So what's the secret for pulling over so many?

"I don't look at stuff that is 10 feet off the front of my bumper," he said. "I look at stuff 100, 200, 300 yards in front of me."