Police to conduct sobriety checkpoint

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Police officers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint from

9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday night. They will screen commuters traveling

northbound on Harbor Boulevard at a point south of the San Diego Freeway.

The purpose of the checkpoint, funded with $91,800 in federal money

that was doled out by the state Office of Traffic Safety, is to educate

the public about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs or

alcohol, said Lt. Dale Birney of the Costa Mesa Police Department.

“This gives us an opportunity to let the public know about our policy

of zero tolerance,” he said.

Birney, who wrote the proposal for the one-time grant, said the

department’s goal is to increase DUI arrests by 10% and reduce

DUI-related traffic collisions by 10%. Over the last two months, officers

have made 20 additional DUI arrests, he said.

The extra arrests, he said, were made by posting two additional

officers on Friday and Saturday nights through July and August.

“People driving under the influence has been an ongoing problem for

us,” said Birney. “Based on state statistics, we rank pretty high in

terms of DUI-related traffic collisions.”

According to state statistics, the number of DUI accidents in Costa

Mesa was second-highest among cities of similar size in California.

The last data recorded in 1997 showed 81 traffic accidents resulting

from such crashes, including one fatality. There were 1,055 DUI arrests

that year.

He said that number could be attributed to nearby beach communities

and the large flow of traffic in and out of the city.

Officers will set up six more checkpoints during the course of this

year, Birney said. The time, date and location for each will be announced

three days before the checkpoint is set up, he said.

FYI

The Costa Mesa Police Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint

from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday on Harbor Boulevard south of the San Diego

Freeway. Information: (714) 754-5266.