SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – San Diego Police are holding more DUI checkpoints during the week after an increase in DUIs during the week days.
Monday night’s checkpoint in Mission Bay was the fifth weekday DUI checkpoint this summer in the Pacific Beach area. What is shocking, according to police, is that they are arresting so-called designated drivers.
Jeff Whittaker, who works in Pacific Beach, said he has noticed more and more weekday checkpoints, but what blows his mind is “how many people are not careful about getting behind the wheel drunk.”
“We are finding that people don’t expect us out there, so it’s turning out to be an eye opener,” said Officer Emilio Ramirez, with San Diego Police.
San Diego police said since June, they have set up four DUI weekday checkpoints and arrested six to eight drivers.
SDPD said they are out there trying to send a message and trying to educate the public.
While a large portion of designated drivers have been arrested at checkpoints, police also said many of the cars going through the checkpoints are ride shares, like Uber and Lyft.
“It costs us $30 to get here, but someone is going to take you home safe,” said Gorge Pulado, who lives in North Park.
David Fillmore, a Pacific Beach resident, said “I think the DUI checkpoints during the week are reasonable.”
The Pacific Beach Town Council President and Discover Pacific Beach, both said they support DUI enforcement in their community.
The San Diego District Attorney’s office said this year, 15 people, including an unborn child, were killed in DUI crashes in San Diego County.
The district attorney’s office also said they have filed 40 charges related to serious or fatal injuries, and in more than half of the fatal cases, murder charges were filed.
In 2016, 19 people were killed in DUI related crashes.