CHP Crackdown Through Labor Day In Murrieta: What To Know

MURRIETA, CA — Murrieta drivers, be aware this weekend: California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and local police officers will be out in force across highways and roads throughout Riverside County Friday through Monday. They seek to remove drunken and drug-impaired drivers from the streets as part of the agency's annual Labor Day weekend enforcement campaign.

The "maximum enforcement period" was slated to begin at 6 p.m. Friday and end at 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Officers will be out on the roads from the CHP's Beaumont, Blythe, Indio, Riverside, and Temecula stations. They will take part in the targeted crackdowns to keep everyone safe during this holiday.

"Alcohol-and drug-impaired driving continues to be a leading cause of traffic fatalities and injuries," CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said. "An impaired driver behind the wheel puts himself and everyone on the road in great danger."

Duryee said this year's campaign will be part of a unified "tri-state initiative." Officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Nevada Highway Patrol also conducting targeted patrols.

"The CHP, along with our partners in Nevada and Arizona, is committed to proactive enforcement throughout the holiday weekend," he said. "We will deploy all available personnel to ensure the highest level of safety for everyone traveling."

During the 2022 Labor Day weekend MEP, CHP officers statewide arrested just over 900 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence, compared to roughly 1,000 taken into custody during the same period in 2021.

Last year, fifty-two people died in wrecks throughout California over Labor Day weekend, the agency said.

As most CHP officers and sergeants are certified as "drug recognition experts," they are capable of spotting motorists under the influence of marijuana and other drugs.

In addition to the CHP, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and multiple municipal law enforcement agencies will be conducting anti-DUI patrols countywide.