Sonoma County Drunk Driving Crackdown Arrests at a Three-Year High

Police throughout Sonoma County recorded a total of 209 arrests during the , from Aug. 19 to Sept. 5 — a three-year high, according to "Avoid the 13" spokesman Sgt. Ken Savano of the Petaluma Police Department.

Bay Area-wide, the California Highway Patrol has reported more DUIs over the Labor Day weekend alone, compared to last year, but fewer fatalities this year.

In the Bay Area CHP jurisdiction, there were 258 DUI arrests compared to 252 suspected drunken drivers last year over just a three-day period. In 2010 the Labor Day holiday weekend saw two fatalities compared to one fatal accident this year, according to CHP reports.

Of those arrested in Sonoma County by the "Avoid the 13" Task Force, 162 drivers were nabbed for DUI during roving patrols. Another 13 drunk driving arrests came from four checkpoints on Aug.18 and 19 in Petaluma, and Sept. 1-2 in Santa Rosa.

Savano says the anti-DUI campaigns are working.

For example, a DUI Task Force Operation on Friday, Aug. 26 targeted DUI probationers and netted seven additional arrests for probation violations. Again, on Sunday, Aug. 28, the DUI task force conducted a DUI warrant sweep from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Twenty-five law enforcement officers from all 13 agencies in the county attempted to serve 124 DUI warrants. Officers arrested 27 DUI warrant offenders during the campaign. 

During the campaign, there were five injury DUI collisions that injured six people. There were no fatal crashes reported. 

"DUI arrests for the Summer Mobilization Period have increased to their highest level in three years," Savano said. "At the same time, DUI collisions are at their lowest in the same reporting period."

DUI arrests are up 12 percent from the 2010 Summer Mobilization Period from 155 to 175. While DUI crashes have dropped 37 percent from 2010, from eight to five. 

In the last three years, Sonoma County law enforcement officers have recorded 498 DUI arrests. There have been zero fatal crashes in the all of the DUI campaign periods for the last three years. In the last three summer campaigns police reported 21 injury DUI collisions that injured 26 people. 

The next DUI campaign period will be the Winter Mobilization Period from the middle of December through New Year's Day. 

About the DUI crackdown:

The national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is led by National Highway Transportation Safety Act with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity. For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.StopImpairedDriving.org. 

Statewide and local Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign Enforcement Schedules and Daily DUI Arrest/Fatal Stats, visit the www.californiaavoid.org. The Program is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety who reminds everyone to please – Report Drunk Driving – Call 9-1-1

AVOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force - The Petaluma Police Department serves as the lead agency for the regional DUI enforcement efforts in Sonoma County to reduce alcohol-involved fatalities and injuries and raise general public awareness regarding the problems associated with drinking and driving.

Participating agencies include Police Departments from the cities of Cloverdale, Cotati,Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, Sonoma County Probation Department, Sonoma State University Police Department, Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department, ABC, MADD, the California Highway Patrol, and State Parks.

Healdsburg Patch and Bay City News contributed significantly to this report.