Long Beach police have scheduled a DUI checkpoint Friday night for somewhere in the eastern portion of the city.
The checkpoint will run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the Long Beach Police Department’s east patrol division, which covers most of the city east of Cherry Avenue.
Police said they chose the spot based on data about the locations of previous DUI crashes. The checkpoint is meant to deter drivers who might otherwise get behind the wheel while impaired.
“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” LBPD Lt. Jose Flores said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety.”
The LBPD emphasized that the penalty for a first-time DUI includes an average of $13,500 in fines or other costs and a suspended driver’s license.