Drunk and drugged driving remains the number one killer on our roadways, with 1,197 alcohol involved deaths and over 23,000 injuries reported statewide in 2013. The “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force will be combating this deadly problem through DUI enforcement efforts in Stanislaus County. Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department will be administering a recent $198,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for the entire county.
Sheriff Adam Christianson stated, “We appreciate the partnership we have with the Office of Traffic Safety. Working together with our Allied law-enforcement agency partners, we will continue to focus on removing impaired and drugged drivers from our roadways while continuing to promote safe driving throughout our communities.”
The “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force is named to send the message that if you don’t drink or use drugs and drive, you will avoid getting arrested by any of the twelve participating law enforcement agencies in the county.
The grant activities will specifically target those who get behind the wheel after drinking too much or using drugs that impair driving. Officers from law enforcement agencies across the county will jointly staff DUI/Driver License Checkpoints and roving DUI saturation patrols. Additionally, funding will target the ‘worst of the worst’ repeat DUI offenders with Warrant/Probation Sweeps and Court Sting Enforcement Operations focusing on DUI offenders with suspend licenses who drive from court hearings after being ordered not to by a judge.
“Overall, California’s roadways are among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “But to meet future mobility, safety, and accessible transportation objectives, we have to reverse this recent trend in order to reach our common goal – zero deaths on our roadways. The Office of Traffic Safety and the Avoid DUI Task Force want to work with everyone to create a culture of traffic safety across Stanislaus County and the state.”
Motorists can expect to see special DUI campaigns during the winter and summer holiday periods as well as on Halloween, Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and during local special events with identified DUI Problems. Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Agencies participating in the ‘Avoid the 12’ taskforce include:
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department
Riverbank Police Services
Patterson Police Services
Waterford Police Services
Hughson Police Services
Modesto Police Department
Ceres Police Department
Turlock Police Services
Oakdale Police Department
Newman Police Department
Stanislaus State Police Department
California Highway Patrol
For information on this press release please contact Deputy Patrick McCulloch at 209 869 7162 or [email protected].
