Drunken driving arrests in Santa Clara County dropped by 58, or
7 percent this holiday season compared to last year.
Morgan Hill
Drunken driving arrests in Santa Clara County dropped by 58, or 7 percent this holiday season compared to last year.
Officers from 13 Santa Clara County departments reported 801 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from Dec. 12, 2008 to Jan. 2, 2009, according to Sheriff Sgt. Don Morrissey. Last year during the same time, 859 DUI arrests were reported.
Since 1973, the county and local police departments have conducted the annual “Avoid the 13” campaign during the winter holidays to enhance enforcement of DUI laws. In Morgan Hill, where arrests dropped as well, police arrested 75 motorists for DUI during this year’s campaign, compared to 92 arrests last year, according to Sgt. Jerry Neumayer.
“We’re hoping that people are being smarter, getting designated drivers and not getting so intoxicated before they go out and drive,” Neumayer said.
Traffic officer Steve Pennington made more arrests than any other officer for the second year in a row, according to Neumayer. Pennington arrested 20 DUI suspects from Dec. 12 to Jan. 2.
During Avoid the 13, the MHPD had officers working overtime on weekends and during peak drunk driving hours, Neumayer said. The enforcement was funded by a $661,000 state grant that was distributed to local law enforcement agencies.
Two people died in accidents believed to be caused by drunken drivers during the recent winter holiday enforcement period, Morrissey said. Both accidents occurred in north Santa Clara County. Last year, one fatality was attributed to drunken driving.
The San Jose Police Department led all agencies within the county with 189 DUI arrests, more than 23 percent of the total arrests for Santa Clara County. The San Jose office of the California Highway Patrol was a close second in the arrest total with 138, almost 17 percent.
