Santa Barbara County - May 18th, 2008

STATE ROUTE 154 IS TARGET OF
AVOID THE 12 DUI TASK FORCE
OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Mountainous, winding State Route 154 near Santa Ynez, scene of 15 DUI crashes over the last three years, is the target of Memorial Day weekend “Avoid the 12” task forces.

 “Three of the 15 crashes were fatal,” said Lt. Marty Maples of the Buellton area command of the California Highway Patrol, “including the one that killed Santa Barbara County District Attorney Investigator Laura Cleaves on May 1.”

Police officers, deputies and CHP officers from each of the dozen agencies in the county will saturate the highway on Friday and Sunday, May 23 and 25, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to Deputy Win Smith of the Sheriff’s Department, campaign coordinator.

The Buellton, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria CHP squads will be out in force all weekend, assigning 80 percent of all available officers to the road, in addition to participating in the task forces.

Lompoc police plan a sobriety checkpoint on Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m. at an undisclosed location.

Similar campaign task forces will be in effect for the Elk’s Rodeo in Santa Maria on Saturday, May 31, during the same hours.

“Avoid the 12” is the combined effort of all dozen law enforcement agencies in the county. It hits the roads after DUI suspects for Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, three weeks at the end of the year and targets celebrations that usually involve alcohol.

Smith and the campaign will receive honors in September in Sacramento for placing second in the multi-jurisdictional category of the California Law Enforcement Challenge sponsored by the California Highway Patrol, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the state’s Office of Traffic Safety. Avoid the 19 in Fresno County won first place. 

The California Office of Traffic Safety funds Avoid the 12 and 40 similar countywide campaigns throughout the state. They involve 450 law enforcement agencies, all focusing on the Memorial Day holiday.