Law enforcement in Colorado arrested 375 drivers across the state for driving under the influence over the Halloween weekend, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
That’s an increase from 325 arrests last year, CDOT said.
“The solution is simple – don’t drive impaired under any circumstance, Darrell Lingk, director of the office of Transportation Safety at CDOT, said in a prepared statement. “A DUI is a mistake that will stay will you the rest of your life and is never worth the risk.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “375 drivers selfishly chose to put everyone on the roads at risk.”
In Southwest Colorado, the Durango Police Department reported it arrested six people on charges of driving under the influence Halloween weekend, according to Cmdr. Ray Shupe.
In 2016, there were five DUI arrests and in 2015, there were eight, Shupe said.
Colorado State Patrol Cpt. Adrian Driscoll said there were also six DUI arrests in the Durango area by state patrol. That’s the same total as last year, he said.
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office did not provide DUI numbers Thursday.
According to CDOT, 120 agencies participated in Colorado’s “The Heat Is On” campaign. The highest arrest totals were Colorado State Patrol with 68 arrests, Denver Police with 28 arrests and Colorado Springs Police with 29 arrests.
“Impaired driving is an issue that we take very seriously,” Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the CSP, said in a prepared statement. “We have zero tolerance for people who drive impaired and our goal is to arrest any individual who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol on our roadways.”
“During the Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period, which ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 23, law enforcement arrested 1,837 impaired drivers, an average of 47 arrests per day,” CDOT said.
“The arrest total marks an increase from the 1,498 arrests made during the same enforcement last year. The most arrests came from the Colorado Springs Police Department (188), Denver Police Department (170) and Greeley Police Department (69). The Colorado State Patrol reported 309 arrests statewide.
“The Heat Is On returns Nov. 17 for a 10-day Thanksgiving holiday DUI enforcement. Last year, 522 drivers were arrested for DUI during a five-day heightened patrol.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
