Crime & Safety
150+ People Arrested in RivCo on Suspicion of DUI During Holiday Weekend
Results from this year's July 4 holiday 'avoid the 30' operation are in.
More than 150 motorists were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence throughout Riverside County during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, authorities reported Wednesday.
The "Avoid the 30" task force -- named for the number of area police agencies involved -- conducted saturation patrols and staffed sobriety checkpoints from Thursday morning to Sunday night as part of its annual Independence Day crackdown.
The anti-DUI campaign coincided with the California Highway Patrol's "maximum enforcement period," during which all available officers hit the streets to nab impaired drivers, speeders and other traffic violators.
Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to Riverside police Sgt. Robert Tipre, the Avoid coordinator, 159 people were arrested countywide for alleged DUI between Thursday and Sunday, compared to 205 arrests during the 2013 Fourth of July Avoid campaign.
"Tragically, there was a death attributed to a drunk driver in our area (over the weekend)," Tipre said. "Last year, there were no DUI deaths reported."
Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The next Avoid effort will begin in mid-August and last through Labor Day weekend.
– City News Service.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
