Thursday, December 31, 2009

NYE DUI Checkpoints

Local DUI Saturation Patrols deploying in: Escondido, Poway, National City, San Diego, San Marcos, Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, La Mesa, Oceanside, Vista, Santee, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove and Chula Vista on New Years weekend.

Holiday Weekend Mobilization - Law Enforcement Sobriety Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols Planned San Diego, CA – Law enforcement throughout the county will be combining resources and sending out a unified message this New Years Eve weekend to holiday traveler’s communities enjoying local festivities that drunk driving won’t be tolerated. If you drive drunk, we will be looking for you. If you’re over the limit, you will be arrested.

The Avoid the 14 DUI task force will be staffing a DUI checkpoint(s) in San Diego County this weekend and deploying additional local DUI Saturation Patrols on overtime countywide targeting those who still don’t heed the message to designate a sober driver before the celebrations begin. Funding for the Avoid Campaign is through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From 2006 to 2007, California witnessed a big decline in the number of people killed in alcohol-involved deaths from 1597 to 1489 dead. Last April, 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 within several month (NTHAS 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 begins Thursday night a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint in the city of San Diego with special DUI Saturation Patrols deploying in the city of San Diego. More local DUI Saturation Patrols will be out on Saturday night in cities through out San Diego County. The California Highway Patrol is deploying 80% of all available officers New Year Eve weekend onto freeways and county roads in their jurisdiction.

2 comments:

  1. Are these "checkpoints" constitutional -- I mean, are they stopping all driver's regardless of reasonable suspicion or do the cops have some discretion to stop or not stop a certain vehicle?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The California Supreme Court has indicated that these sobriety checkpoints are constitutional, so long as they adhere to strict guidelines. These guidelines are set out in the case Ingersoll v Palmer (1987) 43 C3d 1321. If the police fail to follow these guidelines, the entire evidence of the DUI arrest after the stop may be able to be thrown out in court.

    ReplyDelete