Riverside County DUI checkpoint nets seven arrests

The checkpoint was established at Hamner Ave. and School Street between the hours of 7 PM and 3 AM. 516 of the 862 drivers who went through the checkpoint were thoroughly screened for DUI, according to police statements. 19 of those drivers showed sufficient reasonable evidence to require a field sobriety test.

The 7 arrests for DUI were only a portion of the 60 citations issued for varying crimes. In addition, 16 vehicles were detained with 10 of those received extended impounds.

These statistics may sound favorable for DUI enforcement in Riverside County. However, upon closer review, it is worth pointing out that only slightly over 2% of the total drivers stopped were even eligible for a field sobriety test. This means the vast majority of officer resources were spent toward stopping drivers with no reason to be stopped.

The checkpoint called itself a joint DUI and driver safety checkpoint, which gives a nod to the other 60 citations issued at the scene. Even taking into account these 60 citations, however, there was still a relatively low incidence of success in imposing penalties for those cars who entered the checkpoint.

Riverside County is part of the Los Angeles urban sprawl, notorious for drunk driving due to the lack of public transit and high amount of travel time from one location to the other. Riverside has also been hit hard by the recession, experiencing home value decline far more rapid and dramatic than the national average. These factors seem to contribute to a higher incidence of both violent and petty crime.

In the case of this particular checkpoint, however, patrols in other areas of the country were more successful in the first weekend of the national campaign, "Over the Limit. Under Arrest."


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