Sentinel staff report–
Another DUI and drivers license checkpoint will be conducted this weekend in Citrus Heights, police said in a news release on Wednesday.
Q&A: Why do police announce DUI checkpoints in advance?
Authorities said the checkpoint will be held at “an undisclosed location” in the city between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m., beginning Friday night, July 19, and continuing through the early hours of the following day.
So far this year, the Citrus Heights Police Department says it has investigated at least 39 DUI collisions and has made 160 DUI-related arrests. The department said over 1,000 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes in California in 2017.
Many of the department’s DUI arrests are made during checkpoint and saturation patrol operations, which CHPD regularly conducts. Checkpoint operations typically include officers briefly stopping vehicles to look for signs of alcohol and drug impairment, as well as checking drivers for valid licensing.
Police also warn that drugs which may impair driving include many prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter medications.
As previously reported on The Sentinel, the Citrus Heights Police Department says it announces DUI operations in advance as a public awareness tool to help deter drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel in the first place. The department’s saturation patrols, are deployed to specifically search for, and pull over, drivers showing signs of intoxication.
Funding for CHPD’s checkpoints and saturation patrols comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, through the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.
