Gilroy
– Local law enforcement’s
”
Avoid the 13
”
campaign against drunken driving snagged about a dozen people in
Gilroy during its first full weekend of the holiday season.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Local law enforcement’s “Avoid the 13” campaign against drunken driving snagged about a dozen people in Gilroy during its first full weekend of the holiday season.
A checkpoint to catch people driving under the influence on Monterey Street Friday night – Avoid the 13’s kick-off – produced no arrests for Gilroy police, although 398 cars that drove through were checked and given information on the dangers of drunken driving.
Officers arrested five for DUI, outside the checkpoint. By the end of the weekend, Gilroy police arrested two more. With seven arrests, the department is on its way to surpassing last year’s total of 19 DUIs during Avoid the 13.
The California Highway Patrol also participated in the checkpoint, stopping cars at Monterey and Third streets. Officers cited and released two people for driving with open containers of alcohol, and arrested one for driving under the influence, said Officer Matt Ramirez. All three of the drivers had their vehicles impounded.
CHP officers arrested four Friday night, not associated with the checkpoint, Ramirez said.
The Gilroy Police Department paired up with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department to deploy four DUI strike teams Friday, with one officer and one deputy on each team. Those strike teams made the majority of the DUI arrests, according to GPD Cpl. Detective Rosa Quinones. Gilroy police officers on regular patrol also were on the lookout for drunken drivers, as they will be every day through Jan. 2, the end of the Avoid the 13.
Morgan Hill police arrested six for DUI over the weekend, including one man who drove his 2005 Chevy truck into a house on West Main Avenue.
The Sheriff’s Department is focusing on drunken driving as its quarterly “Crime Target.” Tips on preventing drunken driving are available on the department’s Web site, www.sccsheriff.org.
Also available is information about people wanted for drunken driving offenses. Adult drivers with previous arrest records for DUI are ten times more likely than those who have never been arrested to die in crashes involving alcohol, according to the site. About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted on DUI charges are repeat offenders, according to statistics from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD.
Avoid the 13 is an annual holiday law enforcement campaign against alcohol and other drug-impaired drivers, so named for the original 13 members. This year 16 agencies are participating.
During last year’s Avoid the 13, the GPD arrested 19 people for driving under the influence, and the CHP arrested 39 in South County.
