New Sobriety Checkpoint System Nets 85 Arrests

Eighty-five people were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Pacoima late Friday night and early Saturday morning during the first major trial of a sobriety checkpoint system that allows for the immediate processing and release of suspects. Authorities hailed the operation as a breakthrough in apprehending drunk motorists.

Los Angeles police said 1,385 vehicles passed through the checkpoint on Van Nuys Boulevard at O’Melveny Street between 9:35 p.m. Friday and 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Field sobriety tests were given to 105 of the drivers.

“I think we’re going to go for the Guiness Book of World Records in drunk-driving arrests,” remarked Sgt. Dennis Zine.

The 85 arrests were not a record number for a night. At least one night--New Year’s Eve, 1984--surpassed it, with a task force of 99 officers making 103 drunk-driving arrests in the San Fernando Valley.

The average delay for drivers who were not given sobriety tests this weekend was two minutes, 45 seconds, Sgt. Ken Staggs said.

First Major Test

The checkpoint was the first major test of the Immediate Booking and Release System, which includes the use of on-site chemical testing machines to speed the processing of suspects, according to Zine. Despite the breakdown of one of the three machines about 11 p.m., the new system increased the number of suspects who could be tested, booked and released in one eight-hour period, Zine said.

Police say they normally spend much of their time transporting suspects to local stations for urine testing, as well as booking and jailing. Under the new procedure, however, officers set up portable bathrooms for urine testing at the checkpoint, and most suspects were released to the custody of friends or relatives instead of going to jail.

Six percent of the drivers who passed through the checkpoint were arrested, Zine said.

15 to 20 Arrests Typical

Police typically would make only 15 to 20 drunk-driving arrests on a weekend night at one of the checkpoints, Zine said. Only 30 arrests were made at a North Hollywood checkpoint on New Year’s Eve.

Los Angeles police are awaiting approval of a $2-million, federal-state grant that would enable officers to expand the fast-paced arrest system across the city, Zine added.

Capt. Mark Stevens said the Pacoima site was selected because of the high number of drunk-driving arrests made in that area during 1983 and 1984. More than 1,700 arrests were made during that two-year period in an area encompassing several square blocks around the checkpoint, he said.