HOT Sheets

HOT sheets are lists sent periodically to police and other local authorities to alert them to offenders in their area who may be driving with suspended or revoked licenses following multiple DWI convictions. HOT sheets can be developed and distributed by law enforcement agencies, or, as is the case in Ohio, produced by the Department of Public Safety. Ohio has had great success with its Habitual Offender Tally (HOT) sheets program, which compiles information supplied by law enforcement agencies and lists drivers with suspended licenses following five or more DWI arrests. The HOT sheets are distributed throughout every county in Ohio. Additionally, the Ohio Department of Public Safety reports offenders’ names in its monthly newsletter, HOT Sheet News.

According to the March 2003, HOT Sheet News, between August 1991 and January 2003, the HOT Sheet program in Ohio resulted in 13,706 arrests of habitual offenders (five or more convictions).

Guidelines for a Suspended or Revoked Operator Enforcement Program, a NHTSA report that outlined HOT sheet programs in Ohio, Florida, West Virginia and Utah, noted the programs are most effective when combined with other traffic enforcement strategies such as sobriety checkpoints, blanket patrols or random traffic checkpoints (license, registration, insurance checks). The sheriff’s office in Ohio County, West Virginia, has used the HOT sheet program as part of its checkpoint enforcement strategy.

The pilot HOT sheet program in Salt Lake County, Utah, resulted in a 14 percent increase in arrests for driving while suspended or revoked (Moser 1998).

Where to Go for More Information

Moser, Jr., A.N. 1998. Guidelines for a Suspended or Revoked Operator Enforcement Program. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Sheriffs’ Association.