This weekend, law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force to make sure you don't do anything stupid behind the wheel over the Memorial Day weekend. This link on the Colorado Department of Transportation website details the specific plans of 85 separate organizations. For instance, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office "will have three overtime Patrol Deputies work DUI/Saturation patrols on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. They will concentrate on Hot Spots in the Unincorporated areas of Arapahoe County and the City of Centennial."
This efforts mark the beginning of a campaign known by the catchy moniker "100 Days of Heat," which will include "more than 150 sobriety checkpoints between the Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend." If you get into a shot contest and then decide to drive yourself home, there's a good chance they'll smell you coming.
Get more "Heat" details after the jump.
Joint Colorado Department of Transportation/Colorado State Patrol release:
Colorado Law Enforcement Agencies Kick Off "100 Days of Heat"Memorial Day Weekend marks start of intensive summer-long DUI enforcement
Denver - As Coloradans prepare to hit the roads for the summer travel season, the Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement agencies across Colorado will embark on an unprecedented level of summertime DUI enforcement called "100 Days of Heat." The campaign includes additional enforcement periods and plans for more than 150 sobriety checkpoints between the Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. More than one-third of all alcohol-related fatalities in Colorado last year occurred between the two holidays.
The "100 Days of Heat" DUI enforcement begins Memorial Day weekend with more than 65 law enforcement agencies working overtime to conduct saturation and increased patrols to target roadways that are known DUI hot spots. At least 25 of those agencies are also participating in sobriety checkpoints over the long holiday weekend. In 2008, 38-percent of all traffic fatalities in Colorado involved alcohol, killing 211 people. "Despite a continued decline in traffic fatalities in Colorado, there continues to be far too many deaths that could be avoided if people simply did not commit the crime of getting behind the wheel or riding their motorcycle after drinking alcohol," said Pam Hutton, governor's representative for highway safety at the Colorado Department of Transportation. "We will continue to support the state's law enforcement agencies with grants to increase DUI enforcement year-round."
Jefferson County was one of five counties that experienced a high number of alcohol-related fatalities in 2008. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is one of 11 agencies receiving grants to conduct sobriety checkpoints throughout the summer.
"Our goal with sobriety checkpoints is not to arrest a large number of impaired drivers, but to serve as a very highly-visible deterrent to those who are tempted to drink and drive," said Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink. "Most drivers passing through the checkpoints realize that it's a minor inconvenience that can save lives. We will be working very hard throughout the summer to keep drunk drivers off our roadways and to arrest those who commit this deadly crime."
During the Memorial Day weekend, the Colorado State Patrol will also be implementing its "Colorado Target Zero" campaign with all of its uniformed officers, from the chief on down, working the roads throughout the four days. Their goal is to reduce most traffic fatalities in Colorado by 2025. As the Memorial weekend kicks-off summer holiday driving, the CSP will have a large number of officers on patrol to remind motorists to do their part in making Colorado's highways safer EVERY DAY, and to help them reach their long-range enforcement and education goals.
"Aggressive driving, speeding and impaired driving are unacceptable behaviors that put everyone at risk on our roadways," said Col. James Wolfinbarger. "We will be on the lookout in full-force for drivers who put themselves and others in danger. Slow down, calm down, plan ahead and buckle up so we can all have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend."
The following law enforcement agencies and troops have filed DUI enforcement plans for Memorial Day weekend, which begins at 6 p.m. Friday, May 22 and continues through 3 a.m. Monday, May 26th.
Saturation Patrols
Adams County SO Alamosa PD Arapahoe County SO Arvada PD Avon PD Basalt PD Boulder PD Brush PD Chaffee County SO Colorado Springs PD Commerce City PD CSP Troop 1-D Adams CSP Troop 2-A Canon City CSP Troop 2-C Lamar CSP Troop 2-D Pueblo CSP Troop 3-A Greeley CSP Troop 4-B Craig CSP Troop 4-C Glenwood CSP Troop 6-B Frisco Elbert County SO Estes Park PD Greenwood Village PD Jefferson County PD Lafayette PD Las Animas County SO Littleton PD Mesa County SO Montezuma County SO Northglenn PD Parker PD Pitkin County SO Pueblo County SO Saguache County Washington County SO Woodland Park PD
Increased Patrols
Auraria Campus PD Boulder County SO Brighton PD Cherry Hills PD Commerce City PD Cortez PD Crested Butte MO CSP Troop 1-A Limon CSP Troop 1-C Castle Rock CSP Troop 2-B Colo Spgs. CSP Troop 3-B Sterling CSP Troop 3-C Fort Collins CSP Troop 5-A Durango CSP Troop 5-B Alamosa CSPT Troop 5-C Montrose CSP Troop 6-A Golden CSP Troop 6-B Frisco CSP Troop 6-C Broomfield Denver PD Durango PD Edgewater PD El Paso County SO Erie PD Fountain PD Fremont PD Glenwood Springs PD Grand Junction PD Gunnison PD Kiowa PD Lamar PD Larimer County SO Leadville PD Logan County SO Manitou Springs PD Milliken PD Monument PD Palmer Lake PD Platteville PD Sanford PD Simla PD Teller County SO Weld County SO
Sobriety Checkpoints
Friday, May 22
• Boulder - Boulder PD • Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs PD • Loveland - Loveland PD, CSP Troop 3-C Fort Collins, Berthoud PD, CSU PD, Estes Park PD, and Fort Collins PD • Grand Junction -- CSP Troop 4-A Fruita, Grand Junction PD and Mesa County SO • Westminster - Westminster PD
Saturday, May 23
• Adams County - Adams County SO and CSP Troop 1-D • Aurora -- Aurora PD • Chaffee County - Chaffee County SO • El Paso County - El Paso County SO • Eagle County - CSP Troop 4-C, Avon PD, Eagle County SO • Glenwood Springs - Glenwood Springs PD • Gilpin County - CSP Troops 6A, 6B, 6D, Gilpin County SO, Clear Creek County SO, Black Hawk PD • Steamboat Springs - CSP Troop 4-B and Steamboat Springs PD • Weld County - Greeley PD, CSP Troop 3-A, Evans PD, Fort Lupton PD, UNC PD, Weld County SO, Windsor PD
Monday, May 25 • Parker - Douglas County SO and Parker PD
For more information on Colorado's enforcement plans and to view enforcement plans by agency, visit www.dot.state.co.us/trafficsafety/ and click Reports on the header. Choose Enforcement Period Plans, select Memorial Weekend 2009 and click Report.
