29 DUI ARRESTS OVER THE WEEKEND

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY - DECEMBER 19th, 2011

Police Officers, Deputy Sheriffs and California Highway Patrol Officers arrested 29 people on suspicion of DUI during the first weekend of the ‘AVOID the 12’ 17-day winter mobilization period in Santa Barbara County, which began on Friday December 16th.  

The arrest total is slightly down from last year’s total of 36 DUI arrests for the same first weekend of the winter mobilization period in 2010.

“We are happy to see a drop in arrests,” said Senior Deputy Jeff Farmer of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.  “It means to us that people are getting the message in using a designated sober driver rather than driving while intoxicated.” 

DUI checkpoints were conducted over the weekend in Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara cities.  There was also a Task Force detail in the City of Santa Maria and saturation patrols throughout the county.

A warrant sweep and court sting will be conducted this week to locate people that have outstanding DUI warrants and are driving on a suspended license.

The national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is led by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and NHTSA, with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity.

For statewide and local Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign Enforcement Schedules and Daily DUI Arrest/Fatal Stats, visit www.californiaavoid.org.  Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  We all want to remind you to please – Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1!