Police Warn of Labor Day Weekend DUI Checkpoints

Though summer may be winding down, it won't keep Citrus Height Police Department deputies from stepping up efforts to curtail drunk drivers from spoiling the Labor Day holiday for others.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 31 from 7 p.m. til 3 a.m. the CHPD will conduct a series of DUI/drivers license checkpoints at undisclosed locations throughout the Citrus Heights city limits, according a police press release.

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Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint and looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, according to the release. Officers will also check drivers for proper licensing with the intention of delaying motorists as little as possible. It may go without saying, but drivers caught driving under the influence can expect some jail time, a suspended drivers license and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

According to California Avoid, the anti-DUI program launched in 1975, from Aug. 17 through Aug. 26 officers representing 17 county law enforcement agencies have arrested 257 individuals in Sacramento County for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There were no reported DUI deaths overnight.

“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have resulted in 80 injury crashes harming 114 of our friends and neighbors,” said Citrus Heights Police Traffic Sergeant Russo.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.

To report a DUI, one can dial 9-1-1.

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