Citrus Heights police hold a DUI checkpoint on Auburn Boulevard in 2015. // CH Sentinel
Sentinel staff report–
Another DUI and drivers license checkpoint will be conducted this weekend in Citrus Heights, police said in a news release and social media postings on Monday.
Authorities said the checkpoint will be held at “an undisclosed location” in the city between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., beginning Saturday night, Aug. 25, and continuing through the early hours of the following day.
Past 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 also warn that drug-impaired driving includes many prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
A prior checkpoint held last month on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue resulted in one DUI arrest. Police reported that during the checkpoint a total of 540 vehicles were stopped and 17 citations were issued for various offenses, including driving without a license or with a suspended license. Police also impounded one vehicle and administered five sobriety field tests.
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 also regularly deploys “DUI Saturation Patrols,” which specifically search for, and pull over, drivers showing signs of intoxication.
Funding for CHPD’s checkpoints comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, through the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Last year, CHPD announced it had been awarded a $164,000 OTS grant to help fund a year-long program of safety-related efforts, with a focus on DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols.
Police and firefighters gather near a CHPD vehicle at the scene of a power pole collision Tuesday night, after apprehending a driver who was reportedly fleeing the scene. // CH Sentinel
Citrus Heights police said a 26-year-old was arrested after he crashed his vehicle into a power pole on Antelope Road late Tuesday and then tried to flee the scene. The collision resulted in thousands of homes in the area temporarily losing power for up to three hours.
In an email statement to The Sentinel late Wednesday, Officer Wesley Herman said police responded to a reported solo-vehicle collision with a power pole on the 7000 block of Antelope Road around 11:30 p.m., with responding officers finding the driver of the vehicle “fleeing from the scene of the accident.”
Herman said the driver was “actively defiant with officers during their instructions, but was eventually detained.”
The driver, identified by police as Andrew Tolbert of Sacramento, was subsequently arrested for DUI, hit-and-run collision, “resisting/delaying/obstructing a public officer,” and violating probation, according to Officer Herman. Police said Tolbert was on probation for domestic battery, resisting arrest, burglary, and several other offenses.
After police said he was “medically cleared,” Tolbert was taken to the Sacramento County main jail. Herman said the driver “sustained minor superficial wounds during the time he was resisting arrest.”
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According to SMUD’s online outage map, more than 16,000 customers in the Citrus Heights area lost power at 11:33 p.m. on Tuesday, apparently from the collision. A SMUD truck arrived shortly after midnight and could be seen shining a light on the pole, which was leaning over towards Antelope Road, although still mostly upright.
Residents on Mariposa Avenue and some other areas reported having their power restored by around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, and most others had power back on by 2:30 a.m., according to SMUD’s website.
In a news release issued this week Citrus Heights police announced their “game plan” for Super Bowl Sunday: to deploy extra teams of officers on the streets to specifically seek, stop, and arrest intoxicated drivers.
Called DUI “saturation patrols,” police said the additional enforcement officers will be out during and after the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, searching for drivers showing signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Police also advised those planning on drinking to designate a sober driver ahead of time, or utilize options like a taxi or Uber.
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According to police statistics, there were 340 DUI arrests in Citrus Heights last year and 73 DUI-related collisions. Six people were also killed on Citrus Heights roadways last year, with police previously confirming at least half involved alcohol on the part of the driver.
The Citrus Heights Police Department says it announces enforcement efforts in advance to raise public awareness of DUI crackdowns, in an attempt to cause drivers to “think twice” about operating a vehicle while drunk.
Although CHPD is known for conducting regularly publicized DUI checkpoints in the city, police did not mention plans for a checkpoint operation this weekend, focusing on saturation patrols instead.
As previously reported on The Sentinel, saturation patrols tend to result in a higher number of arrests than checkpoints, due to a difference in goals, according to CHPD spokesman Anthony Boehle.
In a prior statement, Boehle said checkpoints are primarily about public awareness, explaining that the more people know about heavy crackdowns on DUIs, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While highly visible checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers each year, Boehle said a single saturation patrol car can make more arrests in one night than a checkpoint can during the same period.
A 2006 study paid for by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported alcohol-related crashes dropped significantly in various jurisdictions, after increased, high-publicity DUI campaigns involving saturation patrols, checkpoints, and other operations were conducted.
[Document: NHTSA_DUI_Case_Studies_2006.pdf]
Police said funding for the Super Bowl DUI crackdown operation comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, through the NHTSA. CHPD announced last November it had received a $236,190 OTS grant to help fund a year-long program of safety-related efforts, including DUI checkpoints and distracted driving enforcement.
File photo, Citrus Heights police arrested a driver on felony DUI charges after a head-on collision behind Raley’s on Aug. 18 sent several people to the hospital. // CH Sentinel
Updated Jan. 31, 12:05 a.m.–
In statistics released last week, police said there was a significant drop in overall DUI-related collisions in Citrus Heights during 2015, although fatal collisions rose during the same period.
According to Sgt. Jason Baldwin, 2015 saw a total of 73 DUI-related collisions, down from 90 in 2014 — with DUI arrests also dropping from 385 in 2014 down to 340 last year. He said traffic-related fatalities rose to six in 2015, up from none in 2014.
The sergeant said he believes the drop in both DUI arrests and collisions is a good indication that enforcement and education helped reduce the number of intoxicated drivers on the road, but said the rise in fatal collisions “is a clear indicator of more work to be done.”
Police previously confirmed alcohol was involved on the part of the driver in at least three of the fatal collisions, and two involved alcohol on the part of pedestrians who were hit and killed.
In a press release last November, police cited the “particularly alarming” rise in roadway fatalities on Citrus Heights streets and said a new $236,190 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety would be used to help fund local efforts aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries.
Police said specific efforts funded by the grant include motorcycle safety and distracted driving enforcement, seat belt and child safety seat enforcement, and DUI checkpoints. The Department said anti-DUI efforts would also include “stakeout operations” to monitor the “worst-of-the-worst” repeat DUI offenders, and roving “saturation patrols” to specifically search for DUI drivers.
Sgt. Baldwin said the overall drop in DUI-related collisions could be the result of several factors -- highlighting that the Citrus Heights Police Department did "a lot of public education" regarding drunk and drugged driving last year.
Baldwin said the Department launched a "Know thy Limits" campaign in 2015, involving groups of officers walking through local bars offering to conduct voluntary alcohol screening tests. On numerous occasions, he said individuals who thought they would be okay to drive ended up testing well-over the legal blood-alcohol limit of .08 percent.
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Asked whether the rise in ride-sharing services like Uber have helped reduce drunk driving, Sgt. Baldwin said anything that can take a drunk driver off the road is a "great thing," but credited a focus on enforcement, education, and roadway engineering efforts as reasons for the drop in DUI collisions in the city.
A 2006 study paid for by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which provides funding for DUI checkpoints around the nation, reported that alcohol-related crashes dropped significantly in various jurisdictions, after increased, high-publicity DUI campaigns were conducted.
[Document: NHTSA_DUI_Case_Studies_2006]
An example included in the study's 108-page report found overall alcohol-related crashes in Fresno went from 444 in 2002 down to 333 in 2003, after Fresno Police "more than doubled" special enforcement activity, coupled with increased publicity.
[From last year: Head-on collision behind Citrus Heights Raley’s ends in DUI arrest]
Sgt. Baldwin said CHPD "is committed to making the streets safer," and will continue its educational and enforcement efforts. According to the City's latest six-month strategic plan, police also plan to continue regular DUI enforcement operations within Citrus Heights, including roving DUI saturation patrols and checkpoints.
Note: An original version of this story reported police stating there were five roadway fatalities in 2015, but after a Sentinel request for clarification, Sgt. Baldwin later confirmed on Jan. 28 that a total of six roadway fatalities had occurred. He said the initial number released had not properly calculated the most recent fatality from November, due to a report not being yet complete.
Stock photo, Citrus Heights Police Department DUI and driver’s license checkpoint.
Citrus Heights police conducted a six-hour DUI checkpoint on San Juan Avenue Friday night, screening 689 vehicles and reporting nine citations, two vehicle impounds, and one arrest.
Although eight sobriety tests were administered by officers with Citrus Heights Police Department’s Traffic Unit, Sergeant David Gutierrez told The Sentinel there were “zero DUI arrests” during the checkpoint — though one was arrested for a “felony no-bail drug warrant.” Gutierrez said officers also issued various citations for violations including driving without a valid license or with a suspended license.
Police announced on Thursday the DUI and driver’s license checkpoint would begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue through 2 a.m., with the location chosen being “based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests” in an effort to deter drunk and drugged driving.
As previously reported on The Sentinel, CHPD Officer Anthony Boehle said the Department goes out of its way to publicize DUI operations ahead of time in an effort to raise awareness and prevent drunk drivers from getting on the road in the first place.
“DUI checkpoints are not intended to make arrests,” Officer Boehle said, stating the more people know about heavy DUI crackdowns, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “It’s all about public awareness.”
In contrast to the checkpoints, Boehle explained the Department’s “Saturation Patrols” have a much higher potential for making arrests, because of a difference in goals. While checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers, he said “Saturation Patrols” are deployed specifically to “hunt” for DUI drivers — adding that a single patrol car can make more arrests in one night, than a checkpoint can in the same time.
Funding for Friday night’s DUI checkpoint came from a grant Citrus Heights police received last year from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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A sign on Auburn Boulevard alerted drivers of a Saturday DUI Checkpoint during a Memorial Day weekend crackdown in Citrus Heights.
Citrus Heights police were busy over Memorial Day weekend, reporting a total of 11 arrests, 13 vehicle tows and 37 citations issued during a two-night “Avoid the 15” DUI crackdown operation — with officers as far as Elk Grove coming to the city to help in the effort.
Kicking off the weekend with a Friday-night “saturation patrol,” officers from Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove and Sacramento police departments assisted in a four-hour crackdown effort, with roving patrols pulling over 69 vehicles and administering 11 field sobriety tests, according to Sergeant Gutierrez with the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD). Police said the operation resulted in five DUI arrests and four arrests for “non-DUI related crimes,” as well as 29 citations being issued for various violations — with about half from driving unlicensed or with a suspended license.
Officers set up a multi-agency DUI Checkpoint the following night on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue, with CHPD reporting a total of 871 vehicles passing through the checkpoint. Gutierrez said two arrests were made and eight citations were issued. More than twenty officers were observed taking part in the effort, coming from Rancho Cordova and Sacramento police departments, as well as officers from Los Rios and the Sacramento County Probation Department.
The county-wide “Avoid” Task Force plans to organize checkpoints and DUI patrols again during Independence Day and Labor Day holidays, according to a press release from the Sacramento Police Department.
Law enforcement agencies receive funding for the task force by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Updated Jan. 19, 10:10 a.m.–
About 700 cars were screened by Citrus Heights police during a Friday night DUI Checkpoint on Auburn Boulevard, resulting in 14 citations, 1 arrest and 6 vehicles being towed, according to police.
Citrus Heights police conduct a DUI Checkpoint operation, Friday night.
More than a dozen officers, including several sergeants and a lieutenant, were involved in the six-hour checkpoint operation, with officers briefly making contact with each driver passing through, and looking for signs of alcohol or drug impairment.
Officer Anthony Boehle said the Department conducts such operations six to eight times a year in an attempt to reduce DUI-related accidents, and receives funding assistance from a California Office of Traffic Safety grant.
According to a press release by Sergeant Dave Gutierrez, research shows crashes involving a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol “can be reduced by up to 20 percent, when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely.” The release also cited data from 2012 showing 802 deaths and almost 24,000 serious injuries in California could have been avoided by designating a sober driver.
“We really want people to take it serious,” said Officer Dave Jones, who was out checking ID’s and looking for signs of intoxication during Friday’s checkpoint. “Even just a simple mistake can cost someone their life.”
Warning that October 31 is statistically “one of the most deadly nights of the year,” the Citrus Heights Police Department announced it will be deploying extra officers to the streets as part of a “DUI Saturation Patrol” operation this weekend, according to a press release from the Department.
“We want people to remember: like ‘Trick-or-Treat;’ ‘Drink-or-Drive.’ One or the other, but never both,” said CHPD Sergeant Dave Gutierrez in a written statement to the media. “Before you take your first sip of alcohol on October 31, figure out who your designated sober driver will be.”
Police say additional officers will be out looking for signs of alcohol or drug impairment beginning Halloween night and extending through the weekend, adding that drinking-while-walking can be “just as dangerous” as drinking-while-driving.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that among fatalities involving pedestrians in 2012, 34 percent involved the pedestrian being above the legal limit for blood alcohol content, while only 14 percent involved the driver being drunk. The data also reveals pedestrian fatalities doubled on Halloween in 2012, with a total of 54 deaths that night.
Reminding drivers that “buzzed driving is drunk driving,” the Department said there were 10,322 people killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2012, with nearly half involving a drunk driver. Police label these as “preventable deaths,” resulting from when drunk drivers fail to plan ahead and designate a sober driver.
In an attempt to curb deaths and injuries from alcohol-related crashes, Citrus Heights police recommend designating a sober driver, reporting drunk drivers and offering to drive someone home who may be impaired. The Department also advises drivers to be extra cautious of the increased level of pedestrians Halloween night.
The local effort to curb drunk driving is part of a regional and national Avoid DUI Taskforce effort, funded by grants from the NHTSA.
The Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) announced Tuesday it was awarded $182,525 in grant money for a one-year special enforcement and education program, aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries in the city.
Stock photo, Citrus Heights police officers
“I am proud of our continued partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety,” said Lieutenant Ryan Kinnan in a press release, referring to past grants the local Department has received from OTS.
CHPD says deaths and injuries fell significantly between 2006 and 2010 in Citrus Heights, but saw “slight increases” in 2011 and 2012. Kinnan is hopeful that “innovative strategies” funded by this latest grant will help reduce collisions and injuries in the city.
In addition to anti-DUI efforts, the Department says grant funds will go toward public awareness and educational presentations, motorcycle safety and distracted driving enforcement, seat belt and child safety seat enforcement, as well as other traffic-related enforcement activities.
Answering a common question about why the local Department goes out of its way to publicize DUI checkpoints ahead of time, CHPD Public Information Officer Anthony Boehle previously told The Sentinel that awareness efforts are about preventing drunk drivers from getting on the road in the first place.
“DUI checkpoints are not intended to make arrests,” Officer Boehle said, explaining the more people know about heavy crackdowns on DUI’s, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “It’s all about public awareness.”
In contrast to the checkpoints, Boehle explained “DUI Saturation Patrols” — also funded by the grant money — have a much higher potential for making arrests, because of a difference in goals. While checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers, the officer said “Saturation Patrols” are deployed specifically to “hunt” for DUI drivers — adding that a single patrol car can make more arrests in one night, than a checkpoint can in the same time.
The Department’s high-visibility anti-DUI efforts in the past have been aided by similar grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the latest funds are designed to work towards what OTS calls their shared vision: “Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.”
Citrus Heights police officers netted three arrests during a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint at Antelope Road and Lauppe Lane from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m, Friday, according to results released by police today.
A total of 767 vehicles were screened during the six-hour checkpoint, resulting in the arrest of a DUI-alcohol suspect, a DUI-drug impaired suspect and another arrest for possession/transportation of illegal drugs, according to a press release by the Citrus Heights Police Department. 10 drivers were also cited for driving without a valid license, and three vehicles were impounded, along with issuance of 13 citations.
Citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department’s press release said “Checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.”
CHPD acquires funding for its checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the NHTSA, and plans to conduct another DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint in August, followed by a “DUI Saturation Patrol” operation on September 1.
