photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

The Lawrence Police Department announced it will have increased patrols on Friday for the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

The additional patrols on March 17 are funded by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation and the additional patrol units will focus on identifying impaired drivers and other traffic violations, according to a release from the department.

The department intends for the DUI patrols to encourage people who may be drinking or using other substances to designate a sober driver and to reduce the amount of crashes caused by impaired drivers.