Posts Tagged ‘Orange County Register’

Laguna Beach DUI Checkpoint results August, 2009

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

The following appeared in the Orange County Register this past Monday:

LAGUNA BEACH

A DUI checkpoint in South Laguna on Friday night nabbed six drivers and screened almost 2,000 motorists in five hours.

Laguna Beach police ran the checkpoint from 9 p.m. to 2:15 a.m. in the southbound lanes of South Pacific Coast Highway near Three Arch Bay.

In all 1,996 cars passed through. Laguna Beach police were assisted by officials from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, who passed out information about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Fifteen motorists were given field sobriety tests. Police found four unlicensed drivers.

In Irvine, a sobriety checkpoint at Barranca Parkway and Von Karman Street also on Friday night led to the arrest of two drivers.

In all, 185 drivers passed through the checkpoint. Police gave four sobriety tests. Two drivers failed. They also gave out five citations.

Statewide, DUI deaths fell 9 percent to 1,029 in 2008.

“Credit for the drop in DUI deaths goes to law enforcement, state and local agencies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other safety advocates,” said Christopher Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “In addition, the people of California have come together to address this deadly problem and are now seeing results. As positive as these figures are, though, we can never let up until we achieve our goal of zero deaths.”

As always, DUI checkpoints are politicized. The police agencies know they are ineffective (roving patrols are much much more effective at getting persons suspected of DUI arrested), but with the political pressure of MADD, and the matching funds of the federal government, they persist.

Anyway, if you have questions for our Orange County DUI lawyers, be sure to call, anytime, at (714) 568-1560.

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Posts Tagged ‘Orange County Register’

Laguna Beach DUI Checkpoint results August, 2009

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

The Orange County Register announced plans for a Costa Mesa DUI Checkpoint on May 15, 2009.  Details are forthcoming.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/police-driving-licenses-2382805-mesa-costa

If you have any questions for our Orange County DUI Lawyers, about anything, please don’t hesitate to call 714-568-1560 anytime.

Posts Tagged ‘Orange County Register’

Laguna Beach DUI Checkpoint results August, 2009

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Image by Florian Seiffert (F*) via Flickr

The Orange County Register had an article from Friday, December 19, 2008, about the increased checkpoint and DUI patrol activity this year in Orange County:

Authorities in Orange County and across the state will be showing up in force throughout the holiday season, authorities said, in an effort to curb DUI drivers and reduce the number of people injured in alcohol-related crashes.

To assist local agencies in tackling drunken drivers during the holiday season, the state’s Office of Traffic Safety has also awarded more than $5.2 million in grants to 111 local agencies throughout the state to conduct sobriety checkpoints, including eight grants that were given to Orange County law enforcement agencies. The money will help pay for the administrative costs and other expenses associated with such enforcement tools.

“Everybody is putting a lot more enforcement out there during this three week period,” said Chris Cochran, spokesman for the Office of Traffic Safety.

The numerous checkpoints throughout the state serve not just as a means to net drunk drivers, but as a deterrent to those who see the checkpoints, authorities said.

“People drive by them so they are reminded to have a designated driver,” Cochran said.

The eight cities to receive the grants include Fountain Valley, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, Placentia, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Tustin, for a combined total of more than $165,000.

“Checkpoints are our No. 1 public awareness tool,” Cochran said.

In addition to the checkpoints, law enforcement agencies said they also plan on conducting saturation patrols, were additional officers are sent out on patrol specifically to spot drunk drivers. Many of those efforts are not funded through the grants.

Beginning at 7 p.m. today, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a checkpoint in Aliso Viejo. In Huntington Beach, police will be setting up another checkpoint at 9 p.m. at Beach Boulevard and Baylock.

Another checkpoint is scheduled in San Clemente Saturday. One was completed in Irvine Thursday night.

The end of the year holiday season is one of the busiest for law enforcement when it comes to intoxicated drivers, Cochran said. It is also when agencies step up their enforcement, he said.

After this week’s checkpoints, deputies with the sheriff‘s department will be conducting saturation patrols in cities that contract with the department, said Sgt. Jerry Brittain, who heads the department’s traffic and auto-theft division.

Although state funding for grants is expected to be lowered for other types of enforcement, such as red light, seat-belt and speeding violations, grants for DUI enforcement are expected to continue, Cochran said.

“A lot of that is going to be tightened down,” Brittain said. “This is one of those campaigns we have to keep going.”

Federal funding will contribute to the grants provided by the OTS, Cochran said.

According to the Office of Traffic Safety, 1,616 people were killed in California in alcohol related crashes in 2007, a decrease of 8 percent from the previous year. During the same year, 30,642 people were injured.

A total of 203,866 people were arrested statewide for driving under the influence.

The grants provided by the OTS will also help fund DUI enforcement for other holiday periods as well, Cochran said, such as St. Patrick’s Day, Superbowl Sunday and the Fourth of July.