SOBRIETY STAKEOUTS GO CITYWIDE PILOT VALLEY PROGRAM WORKED SO WELL IT'S SET TO EXPAND.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

TARZANA - Citing the success of a pilot DUI task force in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton announced Monday he will expand the effort citywide to target repeat drunk drivers.

A five-officer task force from the Valley Traffic Division has been working a pilot program since December, staking out the homes of repeat offenders and arresting those who violate their probation. So far, the team has made 19 arrests.

Bratton praised Valley Traffic officers for their innovation and promised similar efforts in the LAPD's three other traffic divisions.

``You're dead whether you're killed by a gang banger or whether you're killed by a drunk driver,'' Bratton said during a Mothers Against Drunk Driving-sponsored charity golf tournament at the Braemar Country Club.

``We'd like to be everywhere all the time, but we just don't have the resources to do that. We're looking to go after the worst of the worst.''

Deputy Chief Ronald Bergmann, commanding officer of the LAPD's Valley Bureau, thanked his officers for their ingenuity and success, and added the LAPD is sending a strong message to drunk drivers:

``You best watch your rear-view mirror, because you don't know who's behind you, and you just might end up going back to jail.''

Working with the City Attorney's Office, police have identified 721 Valley residents who have at least two DUI convictions, including 40 who have three. Over the past three years, police recorded 7,500 DUI crashes resulting in 100 deaths citywide.

``We're removing potential killers from the road,'' said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. ``DUI offenders do not get assigned probation officers. So this is an opportunity for us to make sure they comply with every aspect of their probation.''

So far, the City Attorney's Office has prosecuted a dozen DUI repeat offenders named in the program. Each has received a jail sentence ranging from 155 to 366 days. One man was arrested on a felony and his trial is pending.

Jason Kandel, [phone]

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com