Anaheim PD cracking down on DUIs with checkpoint, saturation patrols

Plan to toss back a few in Anaheim tonight?

If so, drink responsibly and don’t drive — or you may get an unwanted ride in the back seat of an Anaheim PD patrol car.

Tonight, Dec. 13, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., the Anaheim PD will conduct a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint at Harbor Boulevard and La Palma Avenue.

Meanwhile, roving DUI saturation patrols throughout the city began Thursday, Dec. 11 and will continue tonight and also be held on the 16^th, 18-20^th, 23^rd, 27^th, 30^th and 31^st between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m.

In the past three years, DUI collisions have killed 13 people and resulted in 1,004 crashes harming 407 people in Anaheim, the Anaheim PD said in a news release.

A DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method to lower these numbers, police say.

The Anaheim PD says that if you’re planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a sober driver. A DUI or drug-impaired arrest can cost up to $10,000 or even more, including time in jail, the loss or your driver license and high insurance rates.

The enforcement efforts are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.