LAPD Plans Seven Weekend DUI Checkpoints

The Los Angeles Police Department said on May 14 that it planned seven DUI checkpoints and three saturation patrols across Los Angeles through Sunday, May 17. The operations include checkpoints in Hollywood, South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and the Harbor Area, according to an LAPD news release. The department said the checkpoint sites were selected using data on impaired-driving crashes and arrests. LAPD said the locations could change or be canceled. Friday, May 15, carries the heaviest checkpoint schedule. Three checkpoints are set for 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Crenshaw Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard, Pacific Avenue and 1st Street, and Santa Monica Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, LAPD said. Two more checkpoints are scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Marylee Street and at Roscoe Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue, also from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. ### Where are the seven checkpoints this weekend? Thursday, May 14, began the run with two checkpoints from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Olympic Boulevard and Orme Street and at Nordhoff Street and Woodley Avenue, the LAPD release said. Friday’s three checkpoints and Saturday’s two checkpoints bring the total to seven for the four-day operation. Sunday, May 17, does not include a checkpoint in the release, but LAPD scheduled a saturation patrol in Mission Division from noon to 8 p.m. (lapdonline.org) Los Angeles neighborhoods covered by the listed sites include Westlake near Olympic and Orme, the northern San Fernando Valley near Nordhoff and Woodley, South Los Angeles at Crenshaw and Jefferson, San Pedro at Pacific and 1st, Hollywood at Santa Monica and Bronson, Woodland Hills near Topanga Canyon and Marylee, and the central Valley near Roscoe and Coldwater Canyon. Those intersections were published by LAPD in its May 14 notice. (lapdonline.org) ### What are saturation patrols, and where are they planned? Monday, May 11, opened the enforcement period with a saturation patrol in Foothill Division from noon to 8 p.m., LAPD said. Tuesday, May 12, brought another patrol in Olympic Division from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. A third patrol is scheduled for Mission Division on Sunday, May 17, from noon to 8 p.m. (lapdonline.org) The LAPD release did not give exact street locations for the patrol zones. Instead, it identified the police divisions, which generally cover broad areas rather than a single intersection. Patch, citing an earlier LAPD release from the prior week, reported that officers also check for proper licensing during these operations. (lapdonline.org) ### Why did LAPD say it picked these locations? The department said the checkpoint locations were determined by data showing incidents of impaired-driving crashes and arrests. That language appeared in the LAPD notice announcing the May 11-17 operations. The release did not provide counts for crashes, arrests or prior DUI incidents at each site. (lapdonline.org) Patch reported in a separate May 5 article that LAPD described the target areas as places with a record of impaired-driving-related crashes and arrests. That account matched the rationale in the department’s later release for the May 14-17 operation. ### What did police say drivers should know before heading out? (lapdonline.org) LAPD said impaired driving is not limited to alcohol. The department said prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs can interfere with driving, and it said driving under the influence of marijuana remains illegal in California even though medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal. (patch.com) The agency also said a first-time DUI charge carries average fines and penalties of $13,500, along with a suspended license. Funding for the enforcement program came from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the LAPD release. (lapdonline.org) ### Where will updates appear if plans change? LAPD said checkpoint locations are subject to change or cancellation. The department published the schedule in its newsroom notice titled “Los Angeles Police Department to Conduct DUI Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols,” dated May 14, 2026. The next public update on any revised locations or cancellations would appear through LAPD Online newsroom postings, the same channel used for the current schedule. (lapdonline.org) (lapdonline.org)