DUI Checkpoint Grant For San Diego Sheriffs

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced that it has been awarded a traffic safety grant for a year‐long anti‐DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on county roadways.

The $300,000 grant was awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety to the cities of Del Mar, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista.  The Department has said it will aid in ongoing efforts to improve traffic safety and the quality of life.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said DUI and driver license checkpoints are among the grant’s key components. These highly visible, widely publicized events are meant to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests, he said. Grant funding will also allow for roving DUI saturation patrols, warrant searches and stakeouts for repeat DUI offenders along with court stings targeting DUI offenders with suspended or revoked driver licenses who drive while attending court hearings or court mandated programs.

This DUI Enforcement and Awareness grant will also provide drug impairment training to help combat the increasing problem of drivers under the influence of drugs or illegal substances. Deputies, he said, will now be able to receive specialized training to detect impaired drivers under the influence of legal and illegal drugs.

According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies. During this holiday season, the Sheriff’s Department will deploy deputies to conduct DUI checkpoints throughout San Diego County.  Checkpoints will begin at approximately 7 p.m. and end at 2 a.m.

• Dec. 9th Imperial Beach
• Dec. 10th Encinitas
• Dec. 16th Vista
• Dec. 16th Lemon Grove
• Dec. 17th Santee
• Dec. 17th San Marcos

Gore said he felt it important to remind people to not drink and drive and to designate a sober driver in advance, furthering that those who choose to drive while under the influence will be caught.

Unlike most jurisdictions, in San Diego County, all arrests for driving under the influence require DUI bail bonds.

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