If you thought the increased enforcement against Thanksgiving DUIs over the weekend was rough, get ready for even more enforcement over the upcoming holidays by authorities with shiny, new toys. State and local officials are gearing up for Arizona’s holiday DUI crackdown with $1 million worth of new vehicles to help successfully process impaired drivers, according to Cronkite News.
The six new mobile processing centers, commissioned by the Governor’s Office for Highway Safety, will be used throughout the state in an increased effort to deter drunken drivers. Police departments in Phoenix, Tucson, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Scottsdale and the Department of Public Service each received a vehicle.
The mobile processing centers are just the latest addition to the arsenal of tools law enforcement in one of the strictest DUI enforcement states in the country have at their disposal. And with holiday DUIs accounting for approximately 18 percent of the DUI arrests last year, the next few months are seen as an important time to increase enforcement.
Within the mobile processing centers, officers can administer Breathalyzer and blood-alcohol tests and request search warrants. It is hoped that the vehicles will reduce the time officers spend processing those suspected of a DUI, according to Cronkite.
"These trucks mean we can get out and get the next person off the road faster," said Travis Matthews, a traffic enforcement officer for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
With Arizona law enforcement's new processing centers, drivers are warned to be even more vigilant in preventing DUIs.
"We want you to make other arrangements other than getting behind the wheel," Phoenix Police Lt. Brian Lee told ABC15 News. "It's so hard because there are so many different variables that come into play in terms of how quickly a person can metabolize alcohol."
For more information on DUI checkpoints and previous Arizona DUI task forces, please see our Related Resources section.
Related Resources:
- Find a Phoenix DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- DUI Checkpoints (FindLaw)
- Southern AZ DUI Task Force Makes 52 Thanksgiving DUI Arrests (The Phoenix DUI Blog)
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