Crime & Safety
Agencies Prepare for End-of-Summer DUI Crackdown
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputies and Redlands Police Department officers will increase patrols in the coming weeks.
Police agencies across the region are gearing up for increased patrols as the end of the summer season draws near.
Nearly 10,000 agencies nationwide will participate in the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, the Redlands Police Department said in a news release.
The campaign will include increased DUI saturation patrols and extra DUI/Driver's License checkpoints.
Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life," Redlands Police Sgt. Rick Smith said in the release. "Because we’re committed to ending the carnage, we’re intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Since twice as many alcohol-impaired accidents occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads.”
To kick off the program, there will be a multi-agency saturation patrol Friday evening in Loma Linda, Highland, Grand Terrace and Yucaipa. Officers will be patrolling the cities from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m., looking for drunk drivers.
Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Redlands Police Department will begin its enforcement with a checkpoint set to begin at 10 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Sunday in the southbound lanes of Alabama Street, between Orange Avenue and Barton Road.
Redlands Police also has a checkpoint scheduled for Sept. 1, at a location to be announced, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The Sheriff's Department will also be conducting its own "Avoid the 25" patrols during the period, which will begin Friday and run through Sept. 5.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, violators will face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or even sentenced to use ignition interlocks.
Funding for the multi-agency enforcements is provided by a grant form the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
