Crime & Safety
Winter DUI Crackdown Nets 254 Arrests
The countywide Avoid the 14 campaign arrest number is up 12 percent over last year.
A 17-day campaign targeting those driving under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances resulted in arrests of 254 suspects, a rise of 12 percent over last year's 228 arrests, according to a report by the county law enforcement campaign.
The Avoid the 14 campaign, named for the 14 county law enforcement organization involved, began before Christmas and ended at midnight Jan. 1. The crackdown included a 19-officer DUI task force, a warrant sweep, a court sting, CHP freeway enforcement, city patrols and three sobriety checkpoints—one of which was in Moorpark.
"This increase is a double-edged sword. We know that the enforcement efforts are working, but some people don’t understand the seriousness of drunk driving," said campaign coordinator Sgt. Randy Latimer of the Oxnard Police Department in the report.
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"This crime hurts everyone; it’s just a matter of time before it hurts you,” Latimer said.
Similar campaigns, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will next take place throughout the state for Superbowl Sunday.
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