The Harris County District Attorney's Office will deploy the "No Refusal" Program during the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend to target intoxicated drivers countywide, District Attorney Patricia Lykos announced Wednesday.

Law enforcement patrols, testing units and prosecutors team up to get search warrants for mandatory blood samples from intoxicated motorists who decline requests to voluntarily provide them. Under state law enacted this year, these mandatory tests for intoxicants no longer require warrants in certain situations.

Brent Mayr, a prosecutor assigned to the District Attorney's Vehicular Crimes Section, said the "No Refusal" operation means DWI offenders cannot try to evade prosecution by refusing tests to determine intoxicant levels.

Recent "No Refusal" operations have confirmed the success and need for the program. A Labor Day weekend deployment resulted in 191 DWI-related arrests, including 20 for repeat offenses. During the Fourth of July period, the program gained DWI charges against 337 motorists.

Mayr explained that the Thanksgiving weekend deployment is designed to effectively enforce DWI laws to get intoxicated drivers off the street, to make the high-volume traffic period safer for families and the rest of the traveling public. The program will kick-off Friday night and continue through the holiday weekend.