322 arrested on holiday weekend

For 322 people, the Memorial Day weekend’s festivities ended with an arrest.

Colorado police arrested 322 drivers on suspicion of impaired driving between May 24 and May 28, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. That’s an increase from the 301 drivers arrested in 2018 during that same period.

The law enforcement agencies with the highest number of arrests were:

• Denver Police Department, 30

• Colorado State Patrol, 39

• El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, 23

• Colorado Springs Police, 32. CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol and more than 100 other law enforcement agencies focused on arresting suspected impaired drivers as part of their The Heat Is On campaign, the release stated.

“Impaired drivers are a significant safety risk across our transportation network, not only to motorists but also pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists,” said Shoshana Lew, executive director of CDOT, in the release. “It’s a risk that is entirely preventable, which is why rigorous enforcement and robust education are so important to eliminating such drivers from our system.”

Law enforcement officers arrest an average of 60 impaired drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence in Colorado each day, according to CDOT. The bloodalcohol limit in the state for a DUI is 0.08 percent or higher and 0.05 percent or higher for a driving while ability impaired charge.

The Heat is On campaign is expected to resume again for a 10day enforcement period starting June 14, CDOT officials said.