Stepped-up life-saving

Officers Daniel Miles and Jose Torres were enjoying a cup of coffee last week while on a break in front of the Dippity Donuts on Newport Boulevard when a loud honking caught their attention.

It was a taxicab driver trying to get the driver in front of him to get his car moving as it idled at a green light. Eventually, the driver got the message, but as he cruised through the intersection he took time to shout profanities at the cabbie and leaned on his own horn.

That was enough to get Miles and Torres into action. They pulled the driver over, and while he protested he hadn’t been drinking, the two officers determined he had a blood alcohol level of .10, above the legal limit of .08.

Just another night for the pair who have arrested more than 200 since May, their third tour of duty on DUI patrol together. Torres, 42, is responsible for more than 600 DUI arrests since he started with the department 10 years ago, and Miles, 32, has made more than 500 collars since his start almost nine years ago. This spring, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, when it has its annual awards ceremony, will honor both with Century Awards for 100 DUI arrests. For the officers, their motivation is simple.

“Every DUI we arrest, that’s one life saved in my mind,” Torres said.

That’s especially true for Miles, once hit by a female driver allegedly under the influence and then a month later injured while pursuing another DUI suspect through a carwash.

“It affects everyone,” he said.

On their most recent tour of duty the duo has noticed an alarming rise in the number of arrests.

Last year, Costa Mesa police made 1,047 DUI arrests. Even more disturbing, the drivers getting busted are trending younger, they said.

“I did the math, and 60% of who we arrested were under 30,” Miles said. “That just blows me away. Before we’d see anything from 25 years old to the early 40s.”

Due to stepped-up law enforcement, however, the number of DUI-related accidents have decreased, said Lt. Dave Andersen, who supervises Miles and Torres.

Police reported 91 DUI-related accidents this year, compared with 103 at the same time in 2006. That’s a 12% drop overall.

The two have noticed another trend — more people are driving while under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol. Drivers may not be over a legal limit on alcohol alone but “taking those pills has an intensifying effect,” Miles said.

And drivers should be advised it’s tough to trick these guys.

“Almost all tell us they didn’t have anything to drink, but we see things,” Miles said.

From 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. the partners patrol the streets in a white Chevy Tahoe, making them less conspicuous than the usual black and whites. Teams rotate every four months mostly due to the strain of the shift.

“Sometimes we’re in here until 7 a.m. writing reports,” Torres said. Add to that court appearances during normal business hours and the shift can be grueling, both agreed.

“Both officers are highly dedicated, outstanding employees committed to getting DUI drivers off the street,” Andersen said. “They’re experts in the field of DUI detection and apprehension and have a high level of enthusiasm that allows them to go out everyday and night with the same energy.”

Their shift ends Sept. 1 and they are counting down the weeks until they return to a regular patrol.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love doing what I do, putting people behind bars that could have harmed other drivers,” Torres said. “But I can’t wait to get back on my bike.”

TELL-TALE CLUES

A few signs Costa Mesa DUI patrol officers look for in spotting potentially intoxicated drivers: