CHP Puts Special ‘Bloodhound’ Teams on Roads to Collar Dangerous Drivers

The California Highway Patrol inaugurated “Operation Disabled Driver” Friday night, deploying a special unit of 44 officers on Los Angeles County freeways and byways in a task-force effort to find and cite motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Edward W. Gomez, chief of the CHP’s Southern Division, announced the formation of the new unit at a pre-Fourth of July press conference at which he pledged his commitment to clearing the highways of dangerous drivers.

Gomez said the permanent task force will augment the CHP’s usual patrols in problem areas and at times when drivers influenced by alcohol or drugs are most often found, such as Friday and Saturday nights or over holiday weekends.

The need for an unconventional enforcement approach has been demonstrated by an 11% increase in driving-under-the-influence arrests in Los Angeles County between January and May and about a 5% increase in alcohol or drug-related accidents, according to CHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Lunn.

They’re ‘Bloodhounds’

The special task force consists of four teams of 10 patrol officers and a sergeant, including motorcycle and road patrol officers and experts in drug recognition, drawn from nine different CHP areas in the county. “These guys are bloodhounds,” Lunn said. “Their main purpose is to seek out drug and alcohol drivers.”

They do that by watching for motorists who drive too slow or too fast, who tailgate, who overreact to signs and signals or do anything else that seems unusual, Lunn said.

Members of the special unit work their usual CHP jobs most of the time, but at special times they will be deployed for events such as Dodger games or music concerts at the Sports Arena.

They will patrol special problem areas, such as Angeles Crest Highway and Tujunga Canyon in the summer months, the canyons connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway, or the San Gabriel Mountains on weekends.