CHP Officers On I-15 In Force During Memorial Day Maximum Enforcement

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Temecula Valley's California Highway Patrol officers will be out in force starting Friday evening on highways, along the I-15 and other freeways and roads throughout Riverside County. It is all part of the 2023 statewide Memorial Day weekend campaign to snare drunken and other unsafe drivers.

The Memorial Day operations were scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Friday and end at 11:59 p.m. Monday. CHPs typical holiday weekend "maximum enforcement period" is when all available officers hit the streets to catch impaired motorists and other traffic violators.

"The core mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of `Safety, Service and Security' to the communities we serve," CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said. "This holiday, motorists can expect additional CHP officers patrolling California's roadways. Our primary focus will be to enhance public safety, deter unsafe driving behavior, and, when necessary, take appropriate enforcement action."

For 2023, officers from the Beaumont, Blythe, Indio, Riverside, and Temecula CHP stations will be part of the deployment.

Seatbelt safety will be among the agency's priorities as it continues the ongoing "Click It or Ticket" campaign sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the commissioner.

During the 2022 Memorial Day weekend enforcement effort, the CHP arrested just under 900 motorists on suspicion of drunken or drug-impaired driving, compared to 979 in 2021.

Forty-five vehicle occupants were killed in collisions investigated by the CHP during the 2022 operation.

The MEP will coincide with sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols planned in many municipalities and unincorporated communities countywide patrolled by sheriff's deputies.