As part of a county-wide crackdown on drunk driving during the holidays, a DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint will be enacted somewhere in East Long Beach on the night of December 29. Long Beach and Signal Hill are also listed on the Sheriff’s Department’s list of areas where DUI enforcement will be stepped up each night through New Years Eve.
A collaboration between the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement agencies, The Winter Holiday Anti-DUI campaign has already resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from local routine traffic enforcement and special Avoid the 100 deployments during the first week of the campaign in Los Angeles County.
Between 12:01AM on Friday December 14, 2012 through midnight on Thursday December 20, 2012 officers representing 100 county law enforcement agencies arrested 621 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a number that is more than 200 less than the same period last year.
In addition to Saturday’s checkpoint announced by the Long Beach Police Department Thursday, both Long Beach and Signal Hill are listed on the Sheriff Department’s long list of agencies amping up enforcement this weekend. The CHP will also be deploying all available officers during their Maximum Enforcement Period this holiday weekend; Friday 6 PM through midnight Monday.
All regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will focus efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during their normal shifts. Multiple DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints, Multi Agency DUI Task Force operations and local Roving DUI patrols are all part of this region-wide crackdown during the 19-day Winter Holiday Campaign.
In a press release announcing the checkpoint, the Long Beach Police Department reminded everyone that they can assist in preventing this crime from ever occurring. If you are planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a non-drinking sober driver. A DUI and drug-impaired arrest can cost up to $10,000 or even more, including time in jail, the loss of your drivers license and high insurance rates.