Labor Day’s long-awaited 3-day weekend is just about here. For some in the country, it’s going to be the last chance at a leisurely weekend barbecue in the sun. For others, like us Southern Californians, it’s a 3-day weekend. Regardless, a Los Angeles week-long DUI crackdown has already begun and will continue in full-swing through Labor Day weekend.
For a full week, police and sheriff stations across the county will be conducting saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints at various locations. According to the LAPD, Labor Day weekend is a dangerous time that typically sees a spike in DUI-related collisions. In an attempt to keep the public safe and dissuade early celebrators, the police force is holding checkpoints at the following locations:
- Sunday, August 28 from 8 pm to 2 am a saturation patrol will be conducted on the streets of the LAPD’s Mission District.
- On the same day, from 5 pm to 1 am, a DUI checkpoint will be held at La Brea Ave and 20th Street at Mid-City.
- Thursday, September 1st, another saturation patrol will be conducted from 4 pm to 12 am in the Hollenbeck Division on the Eastside.
- Another saturation patrol will take place Thursday from 5 pm to 1 am in the Olympic Division, including Koreatown.
It should be noted that the saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints advertised are not necessarily going to be the only ones. Additionally, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there will likely be a great deal more.
Publishing the dates and times of saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints might seem counter-intuitive, since it simply lets drivers know where not to go. However, early announcements like this have proven effective in reducing the overall number of DUI-related collisions and arrests. Perhaps simply knowing that police are going to be increasingly vigilant during a specific date and time is enough to convince people not to drive drunk.
