Police arrested a total of 43 people for DUI last weekend as the First State's Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign was supplemented by the arrival of the national DUI crackdown.
Delaware law enforcement officers arrested 27 people for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs during week eight of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign held Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, state Office of Highway Safety spokeswoman Alison Kirk said.
Meanwhile, police arrested 16 individuals for DUI on the same nights for the first weekend of the national DUI crackdown called “Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest,” Kirk said.
"They are two different efforts," she said. "It’s additional patrols for the DUI crackdown leading up to Labor Day."
Checkpoint Strikeforce, launched in July, is a regional sobriety checkpoint aimed at arresting DUI offenders, and using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive, Kirk said. The campaign, a six-month long effort running through New Year’s Eve, involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints statewide.
The national DUI crackdown brings in extra enforcement for the two weeks prior to and including Labor Day, she said. The 16 arrests made as part of this effort came as a result of 42 DUI saturation patrols statewide between Aug. 20 and Aug. 21.
In addition to the 16 DUI arrests, officers issued a total of four citations for underage drinking, apprehended eight wanted individuals, made two drug arrests, made three felony arrests, issued nine seat belt citations and issued 200 citations for various other traffic violations.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is also conducting their own DUI patrol enforcement that coincides with the National DUI Labor Day Crackdown period, Kirk said. From Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 DRBA arrested five individuals for DUI during traffic stops in the areas of I-295 and Route 13. Adding the DRBA arrests to the first weekend results of the National DUI Crackdown brings the total to 21 DUI arrests.
The National Impaired Driving Crackdown began Aug. 20 and runs through Sept. 6. Delaware is participating through a combination of awareness and stepped up enforcement efforts. More than a dozen agencies are participating in the enforcement.
In addition to the 27 DUI arrests made for Checkpoint Strikeforce, officers issued two citations for underage drinking, apprehended 13 wanted individuals, made 12 drug arrests, four felony arrests, issued 26 seat belt citations, eight child restraint citations and 139 citations for various other traffic violations. The weekend’s enforcement brings the total number of DUI arrests since the campaign’s July 2 launch to 185.
For weekly and ongoing campaign statistical updates, visit www.ohs.delaware.gov and click on the Checkpoint Strikeforce icon in the center of the page or follow OHS at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe.
