Full Notification

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 21, 2012

DUI Campaign UPDATE
Day5 of 18 – Through Monday, August 20, 2012

AVOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force
CAMPAIGN UPDATE
49 Arrested for DUI Between Friday and Monday
Series of DUI Crashes Highlight Problem

[Sonoma County, CA] – The Avoid the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force announced the results of the first four days of the 18 day anti-DUI campaign that began Friday, August 17, 2012 and continues through midnight on Labor Day (Monday) September 3, 2012. Since Friday, the DUI Task Force has recorded a total of 49 DUI arrests during the campaign. Of those arrested, 43 drivers were arrested for DUI during roving DUI patrols. Another 6 DUI arrests came from two checkpoints in the City of Santa Rosa on Friday night, August 17, 2012. A DUI Task Force Operation was conducted last night, Saturday, August 18, 2012. The operation targeted DUI probationers and warrant suspects. Teams of officers were deployed county-wide and attempted to serve 25 DUI warrants that resulted in 5 arrests. A total of 6 DUI probationers were contacted to be sure they were in compliance with their terms of DUI probation. One probationer was arrested at their home when they were found to be under the influence and in possession of alcohol.

In the first four days of the campaign a total of 7 injury DUI collisions have occurred that have injured ten people. Four injury DUI collisions have been reported in Santa Rosa. Three injury DUI collisions have been reported by CHP Santa Rosa Area. A very serious DUI injury collision was reported by the California Highway Patrol Santa Rosa Area early Sunday morning on SB US101. The CHP said 33-year-old Dustin Troy Loff of Santa Rosa was traveling NB in the SB lanes when he struck another vehicle head on seriously injuring the other driver and a passenger. The wrong way driver was also injured. Both drivers were arrested for DUI. Two non injury DUI collisions occurred in Petaluma. One on Sunday occurred when Sergio Perdomo from Petaluma lost control of his vehicle on Ely Blvd South, hit a fire hydrant, and then ended up in the front yard of a residence. The second collision in Petaluma occurred last night at 11:42pm when Richard Meyer, age 49, from Petaluma was SB on McDowell Blvd at Baywood Drive. Meyer failed to negotiate the round-a-bout and drove over a raised concrete median causing extensive damage to his vehicle. Meyer was arrested for DUI.

There have been NO FATAL DUI CRASHES reported during the first four days of the campaign.

The Anti-DUI Campaigns are working. DUI arrests for the Summer Mobilization Period have increased to their highest level in three years. At the same time, DUI collisions are at their lowest in the same reporting period. DUI arrests are up 12% from the 2010 Summer Mobilization Period from 155 to 175. While DUI crashes have dropped 37% from 2010 from 8 to 5.

AVOID the 13 Sonoma County - Summer Mobilization Periods 2009, 2010, 2011

DUI Arrests DUI Warrants Injury DUI TC's Injured Victims Fatal DUI TC's Fatal Victims
2009 168 11 8 10 0 0
2010 155 29 8 10 0 0
2011 175 27 5 6 0 0


In the last three years, Sonoma County law enforcement officers have recorded 498 DUI arrests. There have been ZERO fatal crashes in the all of the DUI campaign periods for the last three years. In the last three summer campaigns there have been 21 injury DUI collisions that have injured 26 people.

The national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is led by NHTSA with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity. For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

Statewide and local Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign Enforcement Schedules and Daily DUI Arrest/Fatal Stats, visit the www.californiaavoid.org. The Program is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety who reminds everyone to please – Report Drunk Driving – Call 9-1-1!

Media Notes: To schedule an interview regarding Anti Drunk-Driving efforts, or request a ride-along with law enforcement during the holiday period, please contact Sergeant Ken Savano via email at [email protected].



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AVOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force - The Petaluma Police Department serves as the lead agency for the regional DUI enforcement efforts in Sonoma County to reduce alcohol-involved fatalities and injuries and raise general public awareness regarding the problems associated with drinking and driving. Participating agencies include Police Departments from the cities of Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, Sonoma County Probation Department, Sonoma State University Police Department, Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department, ABC, MADD, the California Highway Patrol, and State Parks. Grant funded activities include DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, DUI Task Force Operations and Warrant/Court Sting operations for repeat DUI offenders during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, August-Labor Day Mobilization, Winter Holiday Mobilization, and other designated Special Events and holidays with identified DUI problems. AVOID the 13 is a collaborative enforcement and education effort between the 13 law enforcement agencies in Sonoma County. For further information go to www.californiaavoid.org.

CONTACT: Sergeant Ken Savano
Petaluma Police Department – Traffic Unit
707.778.4596 office 707.481.3567 cell
Email: [email protected]


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