Holiday DUI crackdown nets 26 arrests

Recognizing the increased threat of intoxicated drivers on Sarasota County roads during the holiday season, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office ran the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” holiday campaign from Dec. 14 to Jan. 1, resulting in 26 DUI arrests. The agency’s holiday crackdown also netted 39 seatbelt citations, 70 suspended license citations, 193 citations for not having proof of insurance, 109 speeding citations, 30 citations for reckless driving and three child seatbelt citations.

The Sheriff's Office reported five DUI arrests countywide on New Year's Eve.

According to a Sheriff’s Office statement, the campaign was conducted in partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and supported through a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign was in addition to the agency’s normal monthly DUI saturation patrols, which produced 19 DUI arrests and 216 citations for other traffic offenses in December.

Last year Sarasota County saw an overall reduction in DUI arrests. According to Sheriff’s Office data, Sarasota County reported 605 DUI arrests through November 2013, compared with 756 in November 2012 — a 20% drop.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 10,000 people die nationally each year due to drunk driving.

The Sheriff’s Office credits its saturation patrols with bringing down the DUI rate countywide.

DUI saturation patrols are run in addition to deputies’ normal patrol beats and are an alternative to traditional DUI checkpoints. The patrols geographically concentrate a cadre of deputies on the lookout for impaired drivers. The agency announces ahead of time the dates of the saturation patrols, but not the locations.

In January, saturation patrols will be conducted on the 4th, 11th, 18th, 19th and 25th.

Contact Nolan Peterson at [email protected]