Drunken driving arrests were up in the Bay Area over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with one fatality, California Highway Patrol officers reported.
From 12 CHP Bay Area command areas 251 DUI arrests were reported, compared to 190 arrests during the same time period last year. Arrests were recorded from Friday at 6 p.m. through Monday at midnight, CHP Officer Hector Baiza said.
In some Bay Area counties arrests were up this year, such as in Santa Clara and Monterey counties.
Santa Clara County sheriff’s Sgt. Rich Sung said 141 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs compared to 94 DUI arrests in 2010.
In Monterey County, DUI arrests went from 32 in 2010 to 48 arrests in 2011, a 50 percent jump in arrests, Monterey County “Avoid the 18” campaign spokeswoman Jan Ford said.
Other counties saw a decrease in arrests, including Solano County with numbers from their “Avoid the 10” DUI Task Force showing 17 arrests this year, down from 21 arrests in 2010, Vallejo police Cpl. Kevin Hamrick said.
Sonoma County reported 50 DUI arrests compared to 63 in 2010, Petaluma police Sgt. Ken Savano said.
San Francisco’s anti-DUI campaign reported 30 arrests over the long weekend.
Statewide, 1,562 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence, also an increase from last year’s 1,438 arrests during the Independence Day weekend.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
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