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Police Will Ring In the New Year With Patrols Out in Force : Law enforcement: There will be fewer sobriety checkpoints but agencies will use tactics such as officer teams and helicopters.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Orange County residents celebrating the New Year tonight can expect to encounter fewer sobriety checkpoints, but police departments warn that officers will patrol the streets in full force.

Constrained by the cost and difficulty of setting up traditional checkpoints, law enforcement agencies say they are turning to different but equally effective tactics to detect drunk drivers. At least five cities, for example, will send out special task forces of officers to spot erratic drivers.

The Anaheim Police Department will operate the only checkpoint in the county tonight and would not specify where it will be.

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“This is the first New Year’s Eve checkpoint we’ve had in four years,” said traffic division Sgt. Harold Parkison. “We were so successful the last time that business kind of dried up. “Now it’s time to revaluate the situation,” he said. “If the checkpoints bear fruit, then they’ll probably continue.”

Lt. Dick Olson, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said none of the cities that contract with his department had asked for checkpoints. The enormous cost in time and personnel would have made it difficult anyway, he said.

“It’s hard to find enough people, “ Olson said, “and even if we do, we can’t afford to pay the overtime.”

Liability was a major factor in the city of Placentia’s decision not to set up checkpoints. According to Placentia Lt. Bob Jones, his department simply does not have enough officers to operate the checkpoint and provide for other drivers’ safety. “If a drunk driver rams a motorist waiting in line to go through our checkpoint, we’re responsible,” James said. “We have to make sure that we not only have enough officers to man the checkpoint but enough officers to maintain traffic safety.” But most law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, said they would have an increased number of officers on duty tonight. Anaheim police also will use police helicopters to spot drunk drivers.

“The guys up in the air see a lot of things we don’t,” Parkison said. “From overhead, it’s much easier to locate vehicles that are weaving and driving erratically.”

Costa Mesa police will have a task force dedicated exclusively to dealing with intoxicated drivers. Lt. Alan Kent said the three-unit task force would be on duty from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

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Similar patrols are planned by the Orange, Placentia, Newport Beach and San Clemente police departments, as well as several other communities. Kent added that Costa Mesa’s drunk driving patrol has been scaled back this year because the past few New Year’s Eves had been fairly quiet.

“In 1990, we arrested 50 people on DUI. Last year, it was 12.” Kent credited increasing public awareness as a major factor in the decrease.

Last New Year’s Eve, 45 Orange County residents were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, and no traffic deaths were reported. That was a dramatic improvement over 1990, when six people died in accidents and 141 people were arrested for drunk driving.

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