COUNTY AGENCIES TEAM UP ON DUIS CHECKPOINTS AIM FOR DRUNK DRIVERS.Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer Police agencies usually create task forces for drug busts, gang investigations or auto-theft rings, but in Ventura County, they're now teaming up to nab drunken drivers. Through a $270,000 grant, 14 law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). across the county will work together at DUI checkpoints during the holidays through 2009. The first stretch of the program -- dubbed Avoid the 14 -- began Friday and ends on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. . It picks up again on Memorial Day and Labor Day. Although 35 counties across the state participate in the drunken driving prevention program, it's a first for the county. ``It tells you that law enforcement in Ventura County is committed to making roadways safe during the holidays,'' said Capt. Ron Nelson, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department The Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, USA, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that VCSD serves are Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks. . The program kicked off Friday with DUI checkpoints in Simi Valley and Fillmore. The next one takes place Saturday in Moorpark. With holiday parties abundant this time of year, Nelson said it's also peak season for drunken driving and alcohol-related accidents. Ventura County sheriff's deputies made an average of 78 drunken-driving arrests each month in 2005. The largest number came during the winter holidays, with 106 arrests in November and 99 in December. However, checkpoints net few drunken-driving arrests, with the majority made by officers patrolling the streets, said Jan Ford, public information director for Avoid the 14. Still, checkpoints serve as visual reminders to use designated drivers and not drink and drive. ``Checkpoints are fantastic for prevention and awareness because they are street theater,'' Ford said. The Oxnard Police Department received the grant for the Avoid the 14 program through the California Office of Traffic Safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, part of the Department of Transportation. provided the funding. Participating agencies include the Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Port Hueneme and Simi Valley police departments; California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI) is a university located in Camarillo, California, in California's Ventura County. CSUCI opened in 2002 as the twenty-third campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of ; the California Highway Patrol; the Ventura County Community College District Police; the Coast Guard; California Alcoholic Beverage Control Alcoholic Beverage Control may refer to:
Alcoholic Beverage Control may refer to:
Jump to: External links A : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion