A “Friday the 13th” DUI Checkpoint at Greenback Lane and Birdcage Street resulted in screening of 920 vehicles, with police arresting two for drug-related DUIs and 30 being cited for various violations, according to a sergeant with the Citrus Heights Police Department.
The seven-hour DUI and drivers license checkpoint began around 8 p.m. Friday, with Sergeant David Gutierrez telling The Sentinel the date was selected due to it being the weekend before Saint Patrick’s Day. He said the location was selected “based on recent DUI collision and DUI arrest data.”
Gutierrez said officers administered five sobriety field tests which resulted in the arrests made, with additional citations being issued for violations including suspended and unlicensed driver issues.
[From January: Weekend DUI Checkpoint nets 1 arrest, 6 tows]
The Department’s last DUI Checkpoint operation was held last month on Antelope Road which resulted in a similar number of cars screened, but no DUI arrests — although officers arrested a driver after discovering a loaded handgun and an illegal assault rifle in his vehicle, according to a February 26 police media release.
[Want to know why police publicize DUI Checkpoints ahead of time? Find that answer in our prior story: Police plan ‘Friday the 13th’ DUI Checkpoint]
CHPD acquires funding for its checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with the Department’s most recent grant being awarded last October for $182,525.
