Holiday DUI checkpoints to be out in full force this weekend
Nov 26, 2014, 5:30 AM | Updated: 5:30 am
PHOENIX — Wednesday is the day before Thanksgiving. That means that night is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for Valley bars and restaurants.
That is because many college students are in town to visit family and friends for the holiday and may be heading out for a night on the town. With the holidays in mind, some newly elected political leaders are helping to get the word out that police in Arizona will be out looking for drunk drivers this holiday season.
Over 80 law enforcement agencies will be taking part in holiday DUI checkpoints and/or saturation patrols across the state starting on Friday night.
Governor-elect Doug Ducey said at a press conference at the Arizona State Capitol on Tuesday that if you are drunk and behind the wheel, you are asking for trouble.
“Arizona is known for the toughest law enforcement in the country for DWI,” Ducey said. “I think that’s right, and I think that’s good.”
Attorney General-elect Mark Brnovich agreed with Ducey that you should not drink and drive.
“If you do, there are a dedicated group of public servants and law enforcement officials here that will make sure that if you break the law, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted,” Brnovich said.
Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia believes that stepped-up enforcement of DUI laws saves lives.
“We will never know how many lives law enforcement has saved by making an arrest, and we’ll never know how many lives that we’ll save by moving forward on this initiative today,” said Garcia. “But we do know one thing. You must not drive impaired in the state of Arizona.”
There is one sign that people may be getting the message that if you “drive hammered,” you will “get nailed” in Arizona. The total number of DUI arrests dropped by 600 between 2012 and 2013.
