The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and their contract city partners combined resources and sent out a unified message this Memorial Day weekend to holiday travelers, college graduates and communities enjoying local festivities: drunk driving will not be tolerated.
With funding through the National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Adminstration the Department took part in the "Avoid the 10 DUI Task Force."
A DUI Checkpoint was set up in Lake Forest and saturation patrols were mounted in 11 contract cities.
From 2006 to 2007, California witnessed a big decline in the number of people killed in alcohol involved deaths, down from 1597 to 1489. Last month the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a significant decline in traffic deaths in California; traffic safety experts are hopeful to report a decline in alcohol impaired deaths for 2008 (NTHSA Statistical data won’t be available for several months) “Police, Sheriff and CHP Officers are doing more with less to remove drunk drivers from California’s streets and highways,” said Chris Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Law enforcement everywhere is asking for the community’s help; if you see a Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1.”
The enforcement campaign began Friday night with a DUI/Driver's License Checkpoint in the City of Lake Forest. Local DUI Saturation Patrols took place on Saturday night in the Cities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano & San Clemente.
Additional DUI crackdowns are planned for the Independence Day weekend.
To see the report on the DUI checkpoint click the video icon below.
At the Checkpoint, 1371 vehicles were observed and 536 were screened by the DUI Checkpoint crew.
A total of 22 vehicles were given secondary inspections and five drivers were given Field Sobriety Tests. Three drivers were arrested for DUI.
Nine vehicles were towed, including seven that were impounded. There were 12 arrests for offenses other than DUI, eight unlicensed drivers. one driver with a suspended license, one warrant, one marijuana possession and one for possession of alcohol.
The saturation patrol that covered Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita netted one DUI arrest. The patrol for Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo brought the arrest of one driver for DUI and one for an unlicensed driver. The patrol for Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente had one DUI arrest and one arrest for driving with a suspended license.
"Over all, the effort was one of the best in recent years",said Sergeant Jerry Brittain, commander of the Traffic Unit.