Police departments throughout Porter County will put extra patrols on the streets in an effort to combat drunken driving during the Fourth of July weekend.

"All agencies in the county will be out," Porter County Drunk Driving Task Force Chairman Michael Grennes said.

Grennes said the Task Force and Operation Pull Over are paying for an extra 20 to 25 officers to be on the roads Thursday night through Saturday night, and their sole responsibility is to look for drunken drivers.

The task force also is offering $50 rewards to anyone who reports a drunken driver Friday and Saturday nights -- if the tip leads to an arrest. Grennes said people can call 911 on their cellular phones to report a drunken driver.

The Fourth of July is a time when people get together for picnics, parties and fireworks -- and alcohol is consumed at many of the events, Grennes said. The holiday falls on a Friday this year, a fact police expect will add to the problem.

The holiday often turns deadly, but Grennes said, "Hopefully, the patrols will prevent that from occurring."

Grennes said there also is a statewide drunken driving crackdown underway. The Indiana State Police said they will have marked and unmarked cars, motorcycles and aircraft out during the holiday weekend.