Full Notification

Alhambra Police Department to combat roadway deaths and injuries with DUI Checkpoints.

Alhambra Police Department has been awarded a new traffic safety grant for an anti-DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on Alhambra roadways. Enforcement measures to combat impaired driving are coming as a result of a recent $58,200.00 grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety to the City of Alhambra. The Alhambra Police Department is dedicated to keeping our streets safe through both enforcement and education.

The goal of the Alhambra Police Department is to continue our partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety to reduce impaired driving incidents and injuries. While the numbers of victims due to impaired driving crashes in Alhambra is decreasing, we still have more work to do. One fatality due to impaired driving is one too many. The Alhambra Police Department is committed to using the funds provided through the Office of Traffic Safety to have more officers patrolling our roadways, in an effort to combat impaired driving.

The special DUI Checkpoint grant is to assist in efforts to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related collisions in the community. The grant activities will specifically target impaired driving offenders as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.

Driving under the influence of Alcohol or Drugs 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. In 2012, Alhambra experienced 34 collisions involving alcohol and 13 injured in these tragic crashes. Crashes involving alcohol have been shown to drop by up to 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough. Checkpoints have proven to be the most effective of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent and are supported by nearly 90 percent of California drivers.

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Person Releasing This Information: Lieutenant Jennifer Wiese (626) 308-4817