DUI task forces will be out all weekend
The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety will wrap up the year with one last deployment of DUI task forces for the last holiday of 2017, beginning Thursday night.
The task forces are designed to deter and apprehend impaired drivers on the road, said Director Alberto Gutier.
Police departments across the Valley regularly deploy DUI task forces between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
So far in 2017, there have been 2,300 DUI arrests, Guiter said.
New Year’s weekend patrols
Twenty police agencies from the East and West valleys will come together starting Thursday night in metro Phoenix, according to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
An estimated 150 police officers will
More than 40 officers from multiple agencies will be on the lookout for impaired drivers, and other officers will be on regular patrol duties.
patrol all Valley highways, including Loops 101, 202 and 303, until early Friday, Guiter said.
Participating police departments include Mesa, Salt River, Scottsdale, Wickenburg and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
There will also be a DUI checkpoint set up in Pima County, Gutier said.
On New Year’s Eve, the East Valley DUI task force will patrol from Scottsdale to the San Tan Valley area. Officers also will be on the road in the West Valley, including Avondale, Goodyear, Tolleson and Peoria.
More than 40 officers from multiple agencies will be on the lookout for impaired drivers, and other officers will be on regular patrol duties, according to Gutier.
Ride services
Gutier said law-enforcement agencies want people to enjoy themselves on holidays, they just don’t want them to drive if they will be drinking.
The American Automobile Association offers a Holiday Safe Ride Program, which offers a one-way tow and ride for free up to 10 miles. The service is offered to anyone, including those who aren’t members of AAA.
Any distance longer than 10 miles will have a standard towing charge per mile after the initial 10, said Michelle Donati, spokeswoman of AAA Arizona. The Safe Ride Program usually coincides with any days a DUI task force patrols.