|
|
|
El Cajon PD Press Releases>
DUI Check Point
December 14, 2009
EL CAJON POLICE DEPT. - PRESS RELEASE INFORMATION SHEET
TYPE OF INCIDENT: D.U.I./D.L. CHECKPOINT
DATE: 7 PM December 29, 2009 – 2 AM December 30, 2009
LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: TO BE ANNOUNCED
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December , 14th 2009
El Cajon Police Department Partners in
Special Holiday DUI Crackdown
El Cajon PD Joins Effort to Deploy 1 of 300
Sobriety Checkpoint over the Holidays
(El Cajon, Calif.) — The holiday season is upon us. Plans are in place for parties, shopping and traveling to friends and family. However, each year motorists will be in harm’s way thanks to the careless ones who will drink and drive this season.
The El Cajon Police Department will join law enforcement across the state as part of California’s 18 Day Holiday DUI Crackdown Campaign with law enforcement agencies deploying 300 DUI/Drivers License Checkpoints statewide. Funding for the special enforcement campaign, December 16, 2009 through January 3, 2010 comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Motorists approaching the checkpoint will be diverted into an area where an officer will contact them checking for signs of impairment. The drivers will be stopped only for a few moments while the purpose of the checkpoint is explained. Those who appear to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be given field sobriety tests and face possible arrest. Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked.
Additionally, Driver Licenses will be checked and those found to be suspended or unlicensed can expect to have their vehicles impounded.
El Cajon Chief of Police Pat Sprecco stated “Impaired and suspended drivers cause a disproportionate number of deaths and injuries each year. We must do all we can to maintain the safety of our community. With the additional funding provided by the Office of Traffic Safety, the El Cajon Police Department can continue to combat DUI offenders through proactive enforcement, prevention and education. Drunk driving is no accident!”
In 2008, 11,773 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In California 1,029 were killed on state and local roads driving with a .08 BAC or higher with another 28,457 injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions.
“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses. So don’t take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you are under arrest.”
Law enforcement encourages everyone planning a family gathering over the holidays to first think about how your friends and family will get home after drinking during holiday celebrations. Everyone is encouraged to “Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911” and be ready to describe the vehicle, its location and direction of travel to make your community safer into the New Year. With everyone’s help, families won’t remember the holidays of 2009 as a time of loss at the hands of another drunk driver.
Prepared by: Sgt. V. Murillo Div: Traffic Date/Time: December 14th, 2009
Pat Sprecco, CHIEF OF POLICE
|
|
