DUI Enforcement

Pacific Beach DUI Checkpoint Ends With Many Drunk Driving Arrests

April 18, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

San Diego Police Department conducted a drunk driving checkpoint on Grand Avenue at Mission Bay High School in Pacific Beach on Saturday night. Of the 725 cars that were initially screened, 48 drivers were sent for secondary evaluation, and 25 people were arrested for alleged drunk driving.

This drunk driving checkpoint was funded by a grant that was given to the San Diego Police Department by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Pacific Beach has one of the highest DUI arrest rates in San Diego County. The summer-like weather brings many people out to the beach areas and many indulge in refreshing cocktails. The police know this so they step up their efforts to enforce drunk driving laws during warm weather periods. So look out for more drunk driving enforcement through saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints as the summer approaches.

We will continue to monitor various media sources for drunk driving enforcement and checkpoint information. Check back to this blog often for announcements regarding the dates, times, and locations of such efforts by law enforcement. If you are aware of a checkpoint that is not posted on this site, please use the “Contact Us” form on this page to notify us and we will publish the information for other followers of this blog.

Drunk Driving Checkpoint Apps, Not Illegal And Should Not Be Banned

April 4, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

google.app.jpg The Attorney General of Maryland and Delaware are asking Google and Apple to discontinue applications for their mobile phones, the Android and iPhone respectfully, that show the location of DUI checkpoints, according to wmal.com.

Blackberry pulled its drunk driving checkpoint location application, PhantomALERT; however, many apps are still available through Google and Apple for a small fee, such as Checkpointer, Buzzed, and Checkpoint Wingman, (which also offers a free version).

There is nothing illegal about publishing this information. In fact, Ingersoll v. Palmer provided the criteria for law enforcement to follow to ensure the constitutionality of a DUI checkpoint. One such requirement was advanced publicity. People v. Banks has since stated that advanced publicity is not a requirement but one factor to be considered along with the other seven criteria. Therefore, these apps can actually assist law enforcement by providing such public notice.

It should also be noted that it is not illegal to avoid a roadblock. Law enforcement cannot lawfully stop a driver for going around a checkpoint as long as the driver is not doing anything unlawful or showing obvious signs of impairment.

Chula Vista Police Active In Drunk Driving Arrests

March 28, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

Chula Vista Police Department has been active in searching for and arresting those suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) in the month of March.

A DUI checkpoint was conducted on March 18th on Main Street and four drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, according to 760kfmb.com.

A saturation patrol was conducted on Saturday, March 19th. In that effort, fifty vehicles were stopped, twelve were evaluated, and five drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, as reported by 10news.com.

Chula Vista Police Officer Alicia Chudy earned the “California State MADD Hero Award” by arresting 85 alleged drunk drivers in 2010. She also coordinated over 30 DUI operations, wrote and secured an anti-drunken driving grant to continue Chula Vista’s prevention operations, and she is credited with training other officers to score more DUI arrests. A total of 650 drivers suspected of drunk driving were arrested last year in Chula Vista alone.

San Diego DUI Arrest Statistics For St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

March 20, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

irish handcuffs.jpg San Diego law enforcement was out looking for drunk drivers during the St. Paddy’s holiday and for all the personnel and money expended for the roadblocks, the DUI arrests were very low.

In Poway, a DUI checkpoint was set up at the 14400 block of Pomerado Road on March 18th, from 7 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. 669 drivers passed through and only 3 driving under the influence arrests were made.

Chula Vista also conducted a DUI checkpoint on the 2300 block of Main Street, from 7 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., on the same day. 1,047 vehicles passed through this one, and only 4 were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

San Diego, Oceanside, and San Marcos announced they would have a DUI roadblock; however, they have yet to release their statistics.

Online Sources:

DUI Checkpoints Net 7 Drunken Driving Arrests: 10news.com
News Releases: San Diego Sheriff’s Department

San Diego Police Announce DUI Checkpoints For St. Paddy’s

March 16, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

A DUI checkpoint will be conducted in San Diego at an undisclosed location within the city limits on Thursday, March 17th, between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m, according to the San Diego Police Department.

San Marcos will also conduct a drunk driving checkpoint at an undisclosed location on St. Paddy’s Day, from 7:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. green beer.jpg

Poway Sheriff’s Station will setup a drunk driving checkpoint on Friday, March 18th, between 7:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. In addition, Oceanside police will conduct a DUI Checkpoint on that same day but from 8:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. The exact address of these drunk driving checkpoints has not been released.

Everyone wants to indulge in green beer or a few shots of Irish whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day. However, to avoid being arrested for driving under the influence at the end of your party, plan ahead: Designate a sober driver; use public transportation or a taxi; or plan to spend the night at the party location.

El Cajon Sting Nabs Drivers With Suspended Licenses Due To DUI

March 3, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

La Mesa Police conducted a sting operation at the El Cajon Courthouse looking for those driving with a suspended license due to drunk driving, according to lamesa.patch.com.

Once convicted of driving under the influence, the court usually places the person on probation, their license is suspended, and they are ordered to attend a meeting that is hosted by MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The three hour sting was at the courthouse where MADD panel meetings take place.

13 drivers out of 171 that were contacted were alleged to be driving on a suspended or revoked license. They were issued a citation, their cars impounded, and a hold was placed on the vehicles.

Under Vehicle Code Section 14601.2, if you are convicted of driving with a suspended or revoked license due to a DUI, the penalty for a first offense is a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail and a fine of $300 – $1000. The penalty for a second offense within five years is a mandatory minimum of 30 days in jail and a fine of $500 – $2000.

These stings are conducted approximated four times a year. They are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

DUI Charges For Former MADD President!

February 28, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

hypocrite.mug.jpg Former MADD President, Debra Oberlin, 48, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Gainesville, Florida, on February 18th, according to gainesville.com.

She was driving erratically, swerving and crossing lanes, when she was pulled over at 1:10 a.m. Supposedly, Oberlin smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and admitted to drinking four beers.

She took two breath tests which allegedly showed her blood alcohol content to be .234 and .239. This is almost 3 times Florida’s legal limit of .08.

Oberlin was the MADD chapter president in Gainesville for three years in the 1990’s. MADD stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and their mission statement, according to their website, is “to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.” She earned this mug!!

No one is immune from drunk driving charges, not even a MADD Chapter President!! If you drink alcohol and you drive a car, you are at risk to be stopped, investigated, and charged with drunk driving.

Driving Under the Influence Charges For Major League Baseball Star

February 25, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

cabrera.bobblehead.jpg DUI is suspected after Miguel Cabrera, first baseman for the Detroit Tigers, was stopped in St. Lucie, Florida on his way to training camp on February 16th, 2011.

When approached by the cops, he picked up a bottle of Scotch whiskey and started drinking it. It is further alleged that he had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech, according to UPI.com. He was charged with drunk driving and resisting arrest and is scheduled to be arraigned on March 16th.

Alcohol abuse has been a problem for Cabrera in the past. In 2010, he entered an alcohol treatment facility after an domestic incident that led to his arrest and a chemical test that showed he was three times the legal limit of .08% blood alcohol content. After this recent DUI arrest, Major League Baseball’s doctors and specialists recommended he enter another treatment program.

Cabrera has not explicitly admitted to having an alcohol problem; however, he has had two alcohol related incidents that involved law enforcement within the past sixteen months. If he has a California driver’s license, the DMV could refuse to issue or renew his license if it is found that he is “incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle because of alcoholism, excessive and chronic use of alcoholic beverages, or addiction to, or habitual use of, any drug.” (California Vehicle Code Section 12806(a).)

San Diego Drunk Driving Patrols Net 160 Arrests For DUI

February 12, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

drink and cuffs.jpg San Diego DUI patrols resulted in 160 driving under the influence arrests during the Super Bowl weekend, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. No deaths have been linked to drunk driving.
Included in this statistic are the nine people who were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence during the checkpoint that occurred in the 1800 block of Olivenhain Road in Encinitas on the Saturday night before the Super Bowl. Of the 1,891 vehicles that drove through that checkpoint, 1,217 were contacted, and 77 were sent to a secondary inspection.

In San Diego County, DUI arrests increased by 18.5 percent over the same two day period of the Super Bowl weekend last year. In 2010, there were 135 DUI arrests and one death in a suspected drunk driving incident.

Pacific Beach DUI Arrest Rate The Highest In San Diego County

February 8, 2011 | The Law Offices of Susan L. Hartman

Pacific Beach has the highest DUI arrest rate in San Diego County, according to voiceofsandiego.org. San Diego Police made 514 drunk driving arrests in 2009 in the police beat that roughly covers the Pacific Beach neighborhood. Of those, only 26 were arrested in DUI checkpoints. In 2008, there were 594 driving under the influence arrests in this same area; however, there were no DUI checkpoints in San Diego that year.

The average police beat in San Diego had just 33 DUI arrests in 2009. The top twelve beats for DUI arrests were:

Pacific Beach: 514
East Village: 152
Core-Columbia: 151
North Park: 145
Hillcrest: 140
South Park: 131
Grantville: 104
Mission Valley East: 102
Mira Mesa: 84
Logan Heights: 82
Kearny Mesa: 80
La Jolla: 69