Santa Barbara County Receives Drunk Driving Grant for DUI License Checkpoints
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $63,500 traffic safety grant for an anti-DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on Goleta roadways associated with DUI reckless driving. The grant will allow The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to launch a campaign that consists of education about drunk driving as well as setting up DUI checkpoints on Goleta streets.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office wants to make their message clear to the public: “If someone does choose to drive impaired, we will arrest them. No warnings. No excuses.” said Lt. Butch Arnoldi, Goleta’s Police Chief. Lt. Arnoldi hopes that this ”no tolerance” approach will encourage people to never get behind the wheel if they plan on drinking.
During 2011 and 2012, DUI collisions claimed 3 lives and resulted in 56 wrecks injuring 31 of our friends and neighbors in Goleta,” said Sgt. Kevin Huddle of the Goleta Traffic Unit. Drunk and drugged driving is among America’s deadliest crimes. In 2011, a modern day low of 774 people were killed and over 24,000 injured in alcohol and drug-impaired crashes in California. Crashes involving alcohol have been shown to drop by up to 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted frequently in a specific community.
This new grant will allow specially trained officers to set up checkpoints to evaluate those suspected of drunk driving. Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.
If you find yourself facing a DUI arrest report you should find a DUI Lawyer. The biggest mistake someone with a DUI conviction will often make is thinking it is a something they can handle themselves. Hiring a Santa Barbara DUI attorney will give you the best possible chances at fighting the penalties for a DUI conviction. Santa Barbara DUI Attorney Kenneth M. Hallum offers a free case consultation. Call today, 805-564-3101. Know your rights, options and defenses against drunk driving.