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Citrus Heights police announce next DUI checkpoint

Sentinel staff report–
Another DUI and drivers license checkpoint will be conducted this weekend in Citrus Heights, police said in a news release on Tuesday.

Q&A: Why do police announce DUI checkpoints in advance?

Authorities said the checkpoint will be held at “an undisclosed location” in the city between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m., beginning Friday night, Aug. 16, and continuing through Saturday morning.

The Citrus Heights Police Department said to date it has investigated at least 44 DUI collisions and has made 184 DUI-related arrests. The department said over 1,000 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes in California in 2017.

DUI checkpoint operations typically include officers briefly stopping vehicles to look for signs of alcohol and drug impairment, as well as checking drivers for valid licensing.

Police warn that many prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter medications can impair drivers’ ability to operate a vehicle.

As previously reported on The Sentinel, the Citrus Heights Police Department says it announces DUI operations in advance as a public awareness tool to help deter drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel in the first place. The department’s saturation patrols, are deployed to specifically search for, and pull over, drivers showing signs of intoxication.

Funding for CHPD’s checkpoints and saturation patrols comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, through the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. 

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