Lake Pleasant Monday Checkpoint
Originally posted here:
Peoria police were part of a DUI checkpoint near Lake Pleasant Monday, which police spokesman Mike Tellef said was a success.
The checkpoint at Lake Pleasant was funded by a grant provided by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. There were eight agencies, including Peoria, that participated in the task force. The other agencies were Phoenix, Goodyear, Tolleson, Avondale, Glendale and Surprise police departments and State Liquor Control.
There were more than 35 officers working at the checkpoint.
Tellef said the DUI checkpoints are meant to prevent problems, not to make arrests. The goal was to inform the public that it was happening, Tellef said, and deter people from driving while intoxicated.
Several people who drove through said they knew about the checkpoint beforehand, “even one guy who was arrested,” Tellef said.
Total numbers from all participating agencies
2008<---------->2007
Contacts: 1,116<---------->1,104
DUI: 6<---------->8
Minor consumption: 0<---------->17
Which was down from last year, according to the article here:
DUI arrests decline near Lake Pleasant
Police stopped more cars but made fewer arrests during a sobriety checkpoint Monday than they did on Memorial Day a year ago near Lake Pleasant.
And that’s good news, said Mike Tellef, a spokesman for the Peoria Police Department.
“If the numbers are down, it’s something positive,” Tellef said. “It means that we’re getting out the message about drinking and driving and using a designated driver.”
From 3 to 6:45 p.m. Monday, police stopped 1,116 vehicles and made six arrests for driving while intoxicated, Tellef said.
That compares with 1,104 stops a year ago and the arrest of 22 people, seven of them for DUI and 15 minors for underage drinking or possession of alcohol, Tellef said.
This year, no minors were taken into custody, another positive sign, Tellef said.
Law-enforcement officers from nine agencies, including Avondale, El Mirage, Glendale, Peoria, Phoenix, Surprise and Tolleson, participated in the checkpoint effort along Castle Hot Springs Road near Lake Pleasant.
Many motorists advised police they were alerted by news stories about the checkpoint and planned accordingly, including the use of designated drivers, Tellef said.
Every vehicle is stopped at a checkpoint. If an officer detects any sign of impairment, further investigation is conducted to determine if the driver is under the influence.
In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Curt [sic] upheld the constitutionality of sobriety roadblocks to find drunken drivers.
We’re still waiting on final figures for the valley/state, they were supposed to have come out yesterday according to this article:
Sixty-five people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Sunday during Memorial Day weekend DUI enforcement, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reports.
Officials said 84 officers from 14 agencies contacted 613 people during the statewide enforcement effort. Enforcement began Friday and lasted through Monday. By Sunday, officers had arrested 231 people on suspicion of DUI. Officers also wrote citations for:
• Speeding, 338.
• Underage consumption, 29.
• Failing to wear seat belts, 13.
• Underage DUI, 7.
Final figures for Memorial Day weekend are expected to be released today.
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