Multiple agencies to focus on DUI drivers in Glendale
Police plan to patrol Glendale in search of motorists who may be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol this Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol Altadena station, as well as Glendale, Burbank and San Fernando police departments, will be patrolling on Saturday as part of a countywide effort this holiday weekend to prevent DUI-related traffic collisions.
Drunk driving “is a real problem, not just in Glendale, but throughout the county,” Glendale Police Lt. Steve Robertson said.
While police will take part in Saturday’s multi-agency saturation patrol, officers with Glendale’s DUI team were to begin monitoring city streets on Thursday.
The California Highway Patrol also plans to step up its enforcement through midnight Monday.
Law enforcement officials advised motorists to plan ahead before taking part in festivities and make sure someone sober is driving.
More than 150 DUI-related deaths occurred during the Fourth of July holiday weekend in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 52% of those killed in DUI crashes were young drivers between 18 and 34 years old.
Last year, Glendale police arrested 10 motorists on suspicion of DUI during a similar saturation patrol.
The highest blood-alcohol level logged during last year’s patrol was .14, nearly twice the legal limit of .08, police said.
“Plan ahead, stay alive,” Robertson said.
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