5 DUI Checkpoints Set for LA This Week

The Los Angeles Police Department said on May 18 that it will deploy five DUI checkpoints across Los Angeles between Tuesday, May 19, and Sunday, May 24, alongside four DUI saturation patrols. The department listed checkpoint sites in the San Fernando Valley, Northeast Los Angeles, South Los Angeles and the Harbor area in a newsroom notice. LAPD said the locations were selected using data on impaired-driving crashes and arrests. The agency also said the checkpoint sites are subject to change or cancellation. ### Where are the five checkpoints scheduled? Wednesday, May 20, is set for a checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Roscoe Boulevard and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to LAPD. Thursday, May 21, is set for a checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at York Boulevard and Figueroa Street. Friday, May 22, is set for a checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Washington Boulevard and Yale Street, LAPD said. (lapdonline.org) Saturday, May 23, is set for a checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Roscoe and Noble, and Sunday, May 24, is set for a checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Sherman Way and Woodman Boulevard. ### What else is LAPD planning besides checkpoints? Tuesday, May 19, begins with a DUI saturation patrol in Hollywood Division from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., LAPD said. The department also scheduled a saturation patrol in 77th and Southeast Division from 4 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday, May 20. (lapdonline.org) Friday, May 22, includes a saturation patrol in Van Nuys Division from 4 p.m. to midnight, according to the notice. Saturday, May 23, adds another saturation patrol in 77th and Southeast Division from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday, May 24, ends with a saturation patrol in Harbor Division from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. (lapdonline.org) ### Why did the department say it chose those locations? LAPD said the checkpoint locations were determined by data showing incidents of impaired-driving crashes and arrests. The department did not provide a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown in the notice, but it said the operation is aimed at both education and enforcement. (lapdonline.org) The department said the primary purpose of the checkpoints is to promote public safety by educating drivers about impaired driving and removing suspected impaired drivers from the road. LAPD also said impairment is not limited to alcohol and can involve prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and marijuana. (lapdonline.org) ### What penalties did LAPD highlight for drivers? LAPD said drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, along with a suspended license. The department included that figure in the same public notice announcing the week’s enforcement schedule. Funding for the enforcement program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, LAPD said. (lapdonline.org) The department has used the same federal-state grant language in earlier May checkpoint announcements covering other parts of the city. ### How does this compare with LAPD’s earlier May operations? May 14 brought seven checkpoint notices and two saturation patrols for the May 11-17 period, according to an earlier LAPD release. That schedule included checkpoints at Olympic Boulevard and Orme Street, Nordhoff and Woodley, Crenshaw Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard, Pacific Avenue and 1st Street, Santa Monica Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, Topanga Canyon and Marylee Street, and Roscoe and Coldwater Canyon. (lapdonline.org) May 7 brought four checkpoint notices and five saturation patrols for the May 5-10 period, LAPD said in another release. Those earlier operations included checkpoints on Sunset Boulevard and Coronado Street, Gage Avenue and Central Avenue, Roscoe Boulevard and Haskell Street, and Western Avenue and 8th Street. (lapdonline.org) Sunday, May 24, is the last day listed in the current LAPD notice, with a checkpoint at Sherman Way and Woodman Boulevard and a Harbor Division saturation patrol scheduled later that day. LAPD said drivers can expect locations to change or be canceled and said updated enforcement notices are posted in the department’s online newsroom. (lapdonline.org) (lapdonline.org)