Full Notification

On Saturday, September 6, 2014, the Long Beach Police Department’s Traffic Section conducted a Driving Under the Influence/Driver License Checkpoint on Artesia Boulevard east of Cherry Avenue, from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. During the eight-hour operation, which was aided by Long Beach Police Reserves, Long Beach Police Explorers, and Long Beach Search and Rescue, 475 vehicles passed through the checkpoint with 296 drivers being screened, and resulting in the following statistics:

-Five Standardized Field Sobriety Tests conducted
-Two drivers arrested for DUI
-One driver arrested for a misdemeanor warrant
-Nine drivers cited for unlicensed driving
-Four drivers cited for suspended license
-Six drivers cited for unsafe driving

Driving Under the Influence checkpoints are a vital component in the fight against both impaired and unlicensed driving. Nationally, impaired driving caused by alcohol and/or drugs causes one death every 33 minutes. The average American has a 30% chance of being killed or injured by a driver under the influence. Sobriety checkpoints have been proven to reduce these types of driving-related collisions by removing such drivers from our streets.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Safety Administration.