Posts Tagged ‘Chief of police’

DUI Impounds Los Angeles Police

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Image via Wikipedia

As a DUI Specialist Orange County, I’ve written about the problems of police impounds at DUI checkpoints in the past, and what a money maker it can be for police departments.  The Los Angeles Times had an article about how the issue of impounds has become a controversial topic in recent years.  Under criticism that it was unfairly targeting undocumented immigrants, the Los Angeles Police Department on Friday announced changes to its rules for impounding cars of unlicensed drivers at sobriety checkpoints.

Previously, LAPD officers at such checkpoints followed stringent protocols that called for them to impound a car whenever the driver was found not to have a valid license, regardless of whether the driver had been drinking.

Those rules have drawn the ire of immigration advocacy groups that said they disproportionately targeted undocumented immigrants, who are not able to obtain licenses legally in nearly all U.S. states. Once a vehicle is impounded, law enforcement agencies often require it to remain locked up for at least a month and charge the owner hefty fees to release it.

The new LAPD guidelines soften the department’s stance somewhat. Police will be required to make an attempt to contact the registered owner of the stopped vehicle. If the owner is a licensed driver and can respond to the checkpoint in “a reasonable period of time,” the officers will release the car to him or her. If the owner is unlicensed, officers will permit another person who is a licensed driver to take the car.

If no one with a license is available, police will impound a vehicle. In any case, police will issue a citation to the unlicensed driver.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said that since he took over the department more than a year ago, the checkpoint policy had “stuck in my craw as one of the things we weren’t doing the right way.” Beck said he decided to make the change after immigration rights advocates raised the issue with him anew in meetings this week.

“I’m tired of casting the net so wide,” he said. “This is the right thing to do. There is a fairness issue here … and we’re trying to balance the needs of all segments of our community and keep the roads safe.”

The new rules, Beck said, were an attempt to mitigate somewhat “the current reality, which is that for a vast number of people, who are a valuable asset to our community and who have very limited resources, their ability to live and work in L.A. is severely limited by their immigration status.”

The change, which the department announced in a news release late Friday afternoon, is likely to anger groups that support strict enforcement of immigration laws. Efforts to contact representatives of several of those groups for comment were unsuccessful.

Police in the small cities of Bell and Maywood have been accused of systematically targeting undocumented immigrants when impounding cars in an effort to boost municipal revenues.

Ron Gochez, a member of the steering committee for the Southern California Immigration Coalition, expressed limited praise for the LAPD’s change but questioned why the department needed to impound a car if the driver had not been drinking.

“It’s a step in the right direction, but it still falls short of what we’re asking for,” he said. “We’re not against checkpoints. We want checkpoints to happen, we want drunk drivers off our streets. We just don’t want people to be losing their cars who aren’t drunk.”

If you have a question for our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers, call me anytime at (877) 568-2977.

Posts Tagged ‘Chief of police’

DUI Impounds Los Angeles Police

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Image via Wikipedia

Baja Sharkeez on Main Street might have to shut down its entertainment at 11 p.m. starting in March.

Police Chief Kenneth Small sent a letter to owner Greg Newman saying that because of various alcohol violations and arrests at the downtown bar late at night, police are looking to restrict the establishment’s entertainment permit.

Small said Sharkeez saw 72 drunken driving arrests in 22 months.

Newman said he thought there was some misinformation in collecting the data because his Newport Beach location did not have any violations. Newman also said he has never been fined by the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

However, as a result Hermosa Beach’s Baja Sharkeez is launching the South Bay Safe Streets program to combat the number of patrons who leave the bar and are arrested for driving under the influence.

Greg Newman, co-owner of the popular restaurant, found out this week that his Hermosa Beach location leads neighboring downtown bars in the number of customers who have been arrested for a DUI after leaving restaurants. Sharkeez has 51 arrests in the last two years; 31 of them were in 2010.

This news comes on the heels of a recent investigation into the number of DUI-related arrests connected to his Huntington Beach location. According to the Orange County Register, there have been 72 DUI arrests in the last two years associated with the Sharkeez in Huntington Beach.

Most of Hermosa Beach’s restaurants and bars averaged between two and five DUI arrests that were connected to their establishments through 2009 and 2010. Coming in second was Patrick Malloy’s with 13 DUI-related arrests in two years, eight of which came from 2010. Third was Caf/ Boogaloo at 12, with eight from 2010.

Police Chief Greg Savelli said the numbers are collected at the time of an arrest when an officer asks the person where they are came from. Savelli said he has no intention of investigating the Hermosa Beach Sharkeez location and believes the bar’s high number of DUI arrests is due to the restaurant’s popularity.

“That’s the most popular location. It doesn’t really mean very much,” Savelli said. “I just think he runs a popular place.”

Savelli also said it’s difficult to place blame on a restaurant or bar for having connections to a DUI because a patron while driving can show signs that they might be under the influence well before they display characteristics of being intoxicated while at a bar. He said two drinks can get someone a DUI, but they could easily have more than five drinks before becoming noticeably intoxicated and a bartender would cut them off.

Regardless, Sharkeez’s owners are going to do something about it.

“It’s definitely a negative that we have this many,” Newman said. “We need to do something.”

On Monday, Feb. 21, Newman is launching a South Bay Safe Streets Program via Sharkeez.

Newman said the program aims to reduce drinking and driving in Hermosa Beach. To do that, Sharkeez will only serve single-sized drinks from midnight to close to deter excessive drinking and allow staff to monitor customer consumption more effectively. New customers will not be allowed to enter Sharkeez after 1:15 a.m. Newman said that will discourage people trying to land an extra last drink. Sharkeez will also be closing at 1:30 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. to help clear the streets earlier and allow more taxicabs to be available for its patrons.

He said staff will also frequently remind customers not to drink and drive with audio announcements, signs at the entrance and on all tables, posters and special buttons worn by staff.
Newman said Sharkeez is also teaming up with United Taxi and Yellow Cab to offer taxi vouchers for $5 off rides. Sharkeez staff will pass the vouchers out throughout the night and to customers leaving the restaurant.

Also, every two years staff members will have to take a day class to get a Mandatory Serve Safe certification to remind them of all the city and state regulations and to help deter overserving.

“We want to lead the charge in creating safer streets and a safer downtown area by reducing drinking and driving in our community,” according to Newman.

Newman said they plan to ask Savelli for the new DUI statistics in 90 days after the program has been established to see if it is working.

“We’ll find out in 90 days if it’s making a difference, if we’re in the right direction,” Newman said. “If not, we’ll add more stuff.”

Savelli said the program is a good first step.

Newman said if it works, he looks forward to other restaurants and bars implementing similar programs.

Mayor Pro Tem Howard Fishman said the statistics of DUIs in Hermosa Beach “show that people aren’t drinking responsibly” and that it’s not one restaurant’s fault.

“I’m not going to point a finger at Sharkeez,” Fishman said.

Councilman Michael DiVirgilio said he was “surprised” to see the DUI figures related to Sharkeez and that it was “disturbing.” He’s going to encourage the police, city staff and restaurant owners to work together to come up with ways to lower the number of intoxicated drivers.

“We need to have our staff lead the effort,” DiVirgilio said.

“I think in general any number is too high. We should be finding a way to drive the numbers down.”

DiVirgilio also recommended having more DUI checkpoints throughout the year and more electronic message boards on city streets discouraging drunk driving.

Newman said he welcomes any meetings between restaurant owners and the city to fight the DUI arrests.

“It’s definitely a good idea to have a meeting on this,” Newman said. “If this (program) works well, I think the city will want other restaurants doing it.”

Newman also said he’ll suggest that the Hermosa Beach Restaurant Association discuss how to fight drinking and driving at its next meeting.

“We’re about being proactive and not justifying,” Newman said. “It’s all about reducing the number of DUIs.”

Because a whopping 72 of its patrons were arrested for drunk-driving in a 22-month period, Baja Sharkeez in Huntington Beach will soon have to stop its entertainment at 11 p.m. nightly.

Meaning no deejay-ing or live performances after that. Though alcohol can still be served until 1:30 a.m., when the restaurant closes.

[Insert sound of head-scratching here.]

Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small sent a letter to Sharkeez owner Greg Newman saying the new hours will go into effect March 1, when the restaurant renews its entertainment permit.

This curfew of sorts comes after the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control opened an investigation on the restaurant last month.

Newman, who previously said Sharkeez was being unfairly targeted due to its popularity,  seems to be cooperating with police, though he’s asking Small if the restaurant can get a 90-day trial with the new entertainment hours. According to the Huntington Beach Independent, Newman has met with Small to share some ideas on how to help curb alcohol consumption and the problems because of it. The restaurant will stop serving large cups or pitchers of alcohol at midnight, and is in the process of partnering with a cab company to offer vouchers for tipsy customers. He’s also researching whether the restaurant can use a breathalyzer to measure customers’ blood alcohol level before they get their last drink at 1:15 a.m., the Independent reports.

Huntington Beach takes the No. 1 spot in 2009 California DUI collisions among cities of its size. The city has been scrambling to find ways to address the issue, recently voting downthe idea of posting mugshots of repeat DUI offenders on its Facebook page.

Posts Tagged ‘Chief of police’

DUI Impounds Los Angeles Police

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Image via Wikipedia

Posts Tagged ‘Chief of police’

DUI Impounds Los Angeles Police

Monday, March 14th, 2011

LAKE FOREST – A deputy known for exceeding department expectations will be honored as deputy of the year tonight by the City Council.

Hennessey, a 10-year Orange County Sheriff’s Department veteran, in 2008 was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for having the highest number of arrests among cities that contract with Sheriff’s Department in the county. Since coming to Lake Forest in 2007, Hennessey has been honored for his record arrests three years in a row. In 2008, more than 2,500 drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving countywide.

Hennessey is also part of a special enforcement team identifying and catching suspected vandals in an anti-tagging program. In 1½ years, he and his partners have cleared more than 100 cases and made more than 40 arrests.

“He is very involved and dedicated to the community,” said Lt. Doug Doyle, chief of police services for the city. “He produced an incredible body of work this year and he consistently far exceeds expectations in every area of his responsibilities.”

Brought to you by the Orange County DUI lawyers of Miller & Associates.

Posts Tagged ‘Chief of police’

DUI Impounds Los Angeles Police

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Image via Wikipedia

From the Orange County Sheriff‘s Department

San Juan Capistrano Police Services will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, December 20 from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the San Juan Capistrano. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.

All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI/Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as insuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.

A DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, San Juan Capistrano Police Services and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department believe motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs – Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest. The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Sheriff’s Department also announces …

Increased special impaired driving enforcement measures are on tap this holiday season and throughout the next year as a result of a recent $28,764 grant awarded by the Office of Traffic Safety to San Juan Capistrano Police Services and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. They are dedicated to keeping our roadways safe through both enforcement and education.

“DUI Checkpoints have significantly alerted the community of our commitment to having safe Holidays and a continual DUI enforcement effort throughout the year,” said Lt. Dan Dwyer, Chief of Police Services for the city of San Juan Capistrano.

The special grant is to assist in efforts to deal with increased impaired driving problems and reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and drug related traffic collisions. Last year 1597 people were killed and over 31,000 injured in California in drug and alcohol related crashes.

The grant activities will specifically target DUI offenders and drivers with suspended or revoked licenses. This will be done through the use of checkpoints set up to screen for drivers who may be impaired or operating without a valid drivers license. Checkpoints have been shown to significantly reduce DUI fatalities when utilized aggressively and consistently. The most positive aspects of DUI checkpoints are their ability to increase public awareness, to prevent impaired driving in the first place, and to encourage designating a sober driver.

“When more people drive sober and safely, lives are saved. It’s just that simple,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “This grant will help make San Juan Capistrano just that much safer of a place to live and work.”

Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Driving While Drowsy as Bad as DWI?
• Traffic deaths down, U.S. roads reach record level of safety
• How to Stay Safe on the Road