A DUI Checkpoint scheduled for this past Friday night got cancelled due to the cold weather. Even if the drivers wouldn’t be coming to them, Deputies weren’t about to abandon the idea of making the night safer, and they switched to a different, warmer alternative.
They’re called “Saturation Patrols,” and they operate behind the scenes just as often as the checkpoints. Friday night, it consisted of four, two man teams and one motorcycle officer out looking for drivers that show signs of being impaired.
The officers participating are extra, meaning they don’t take calls. Of course, if a major emergency happened they could respond, but other than that, their only mission is to look for drunk drivers.
It was obviously successful Friday night, as four arrests were made for driving under the influence.
The officers that participated in the special patrol were working an extra shift, paid for by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.