Although DUI Checkpoints are horribly ineffective in finding drunk drivers, police and MADD love them, because they give the right political appearances and give MADD volunteers something to do.

If you have any questions for an Orange County DUI Lawyer, contact me anytime at 714-568-1560.

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Cops Ask for 9-1-1 Cell Phone Calls
Oh, You Better Watch Out and Not Drink ‘n Drive
By STU SAFFER

Laguna Beach Police promise increased vigilance to reduce the number of drunk drivers this holiday season, part of a statewide crackdown.

In addition to added DUI enforcement and a Saturday, Dec 27 checkpoint, the cops are asking sober drivers to be on the lookout for drivers who might be impaired or intoxicated.

“We’re encouraging the public to call 9-1-1 and report drunk drivers and be able to describe the vehicle, its location and direction of travel,” said traffic supervisor Sgt. Bob Rahaeuser in a statement.

The Dec 27 DUI checkpoint will be somewhere on Coast Highway and will be the first of four funded by a grant from state and federal traffic safety programs.

Rahaeuser said last year was the first since 1998 to show a decline in alcohol-related fatalities in California, citing aggressive law enforcement, checkpoints and 9-1-1 callers as contributing factors. “The checkpoints increase awareness of the dangers of impaired drivers and encourage sober designated drivers.”

Police pass along the following “clues” to help you detect a possible drunk driver:

•Weaving/swerving in and out of the lane or weaving noticeably within the lane

•Straddling lane or centerlines

•Driving much slower than the flow of traffic

•Breaking or stopping in the lane for no apparent reason

•Sudden stops for traffic signals and slow starts once they change or not moving on a change

•Wide turns and/or cutting the corner striking the curb

•Headlights off at night

•A driver starring straight ahead with face close to the windshield and nodding as if sleepy

•Aggressive driving – speeding, tailgating, multiple lane changes or unsafe passing.”

“A weekend DUI checkpoint in Costa Mesa netted several suspects, including arrests for drugs and driving under the influence, police said.

During the Saturday checkpoint on Newport Boulevard at Flower Street, 2,400 vehicles passed through the checkpoint with more than 460 being stopped by officers. Of those, police pulled 25 aside for closer scrutiny.

Police ended up arresting two people on suspicion of driving under the influence, one person for possession of marijuana, three for driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, and one for not having a license. More than a dozen others were given tickets for various violations, police said.

The checkpoint is one of several police will conduct in the coming months, thanks to a grant from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety. Police are scheduled to conduct another checkpoint in December, officials said.”

0.0083 percent DUI arrests?  That’s shameful, Costa Mesa Police Department.

As I have mentioned in several previous posts, DUI checkpoints are a horribly inefficient way of protecting the public safety interest and keeping drunk drivers off the road.  Hundreds of drunk drivers were out on the roads and officers were kept busy running the checkpoint to catch two of them, instead of looking for cues of impaired driving. 

If you have questions for a DUI defense attorney, leave a comment, or check out the website of an Orange County DUI Attorney for contact information.

STANTON – Officials at the District Attorney’s Office said they are still deciding whether to file charges against a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who is alleged to have run a red light and crashed into another vehicle, and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence while on duty.

Two months ago, three people were taken to nearby hospitals and an Anaheim man suffered life-threatening injuries in the early-morning crash, authorities said.

Authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Deputy Robert Moran, who was on duty and driving a Chevrolet Blazer owned by the department, was headed to an Orange County location when the crash happened June 29.

Witnesses reported seeing Moran running a red light and crashing into another vehicle at Garden Grove Boulevard while driving southbound on Beach Boulevard, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials at the District Attorney’s Office have not yet made a decision on whether to file charges because they are still reviewing the case, said spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

When that decision would be made is unknown, Emami said.

An officer with the Garden Grove Police Department who responded to the scene noticed alcohol on Moran’s breath. Moran was later given a blood-alcohol test.

Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigated the crash and submitted a report to the District Attorney’s Office, which will make the decision on whether to file charges against the Los Angeles deputy.

Moran posted bond after being booked June 29 and was given a court date of July 28. Because charges had not been filed by that time, the bond was returned to him, Emami said.

Moran was relieved of duty the day of the crash, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.