San Rafael Police Make 35 DUI Arrests During Holiday Season

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Stepping up its enforcement over the holiday season, the San Rafael Police Department’s saturation patrols and other efforts resulted in nearly three dozen arrests of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers.

A total of 35 drivers were arrested for DUIs from Nov. 19, 2016 through Jan. 1, 2017. Six DUI saturation patrols took place during this period on Nov. 19, Nov. 23, Dec. 16, Dec. 23, Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 in areas that gave officers the best chance to deter drunk and drugged driving.

Among the department’s 35 DUI arrests over the holiday season, a driver involved in a Nov. 23 crash was found with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. The driver, whose vehicle had rolled onto its roof, suffered minor injuries.

Police arrested another driver on Dec. 28 who was also charged for child endangerment because a 1-year-old child was in the vehicle.

In a statement, police said that high visibility enforcement through both saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints has proven to reduce the number of alcohol- and drug-related collisions, injuries and deaths.

“Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized proactive DUI operations are conducted routinely,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, in California, alcohol-involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 injuries in 2014. In the past three years, prior to the recent holiday campaign, San Rafael police officers have investigated 208 DUI collisions, which have claimed three lives and resulted in another 42 injuries.

A DUI arrest can include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

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