Extra officers on patrol Dec. 15th & 31st

December 11, 2012 — In support of its ongoing efforts to stop and deter drunk driving, the Salt Lake City Police Department will conduct two more enhanced DUI operations this holiday season.

“Holiday parties are a great way to catch up with friends and family, but they can also be an easy way to overindulge — not just in food but alcohol. Don’t let your tidings of great joy turn to great sorrow,” said Deputy Chief Terry Fritz, Special Operations Bureau. “As people celebrate the season, we ask that they drink responsibly, designate a driver, and don’t let friends drive drunk.”

The SLCPD Motorcycle Squad, supported by officers equipped with mobile intoxilyzers, conducted its first enhanced DUI operation of the holiday season Friday, November 30, 2012. They made 135 traffic stops, processing 10 DUIs and issuing an additional 27 citations, that night.

Reporters are invited to follow the progress of another enhanced DUI operation via the Department’s Twitter feed Saturday, December 15, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. A third DUI saturation will be held New Year’s Eve, as well.

According to the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice’s “Tenth Annual DUI Report to the Utah Legislature,” there were 13,031 DUI arrests in FY 2012. The report’s other highlights include the following:

• Arrests included 972 made during specialized DUI overtime enforcement events such as enforcement blitzes, saturation patrols, and DUI checkpoints that involved 100 law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
• The majority of DUI arrests occurred along the Wasatch Front with Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah Counties accounting for 72 percent of the total.
• Sixty-eight percent of arrests were for a first DUI offense, 21 percent were for a second offense, seven percent were for a third offense, and almost four percent were for a fourth or subsequent offense.
• From CY 2010 to CY 2011, the percentage of total crash fatalities that were DUI/alcohol-related increased from 9.9 percent to 16.0 percent.
• From CY 2010 to CY 2011, the percentage of total crash fatalities that were DUI/drug-related increased from 10.3 percent to 12.3 percent.

“When we take a DUI driver off the streets, that means one less person capable of causing a potentially fatal accident that night — and that’s a very good thing any time of the year,” said Fritz.

Contact: Reporters seeking comment should contact the Public Information Officer at 801.799.NEWS (6397).

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