County DUI Operation Nets 165 Arrests, Four of Them in Murrieta

A countywide crackdown on drunken and drug-impaired motorists netted 165 arrests in the first three days of the operation-- with four of them made here in Murrieta, authorities said Monday.

The end-of-summer Riverside County Avoid the 30 campaign -- named for the number of police agencies involved -- got under way Friday morning.

Between then and Sunday night, saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints were deployed in a number of locations, including Banning, Beaumont, Corona, La Quinta, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Norco, Palm Springs, Perris, Rancho Mirage, Riverside and Temecula.

The 165 motorists arrested on suspicion of DUI since Friday compare to 162 arrested during the same phase of last summer's Avoid campaign, according to Riverside police Lt. Mark Rossi, the Avoid coordinator.

The majority of arrests were made by the California Highway Patrol, who arrested a total of 67 people for DUI between Friday and Sunday, according to data provided to Patch by Avoid the 30.  Moreno Valley PD made the second highest number of arrests, with 11, followed by Palm Desert police, with 10.

Nearby Lake Elsinore's police force arrested five people, while Temecula's department arrested eight people on suspicion of DUI.

Two people were killed and five people were seriously injured in a possible DUI-related collision over the weekend, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Avoid crackdown, which continues through Labor Day weekend, is part of a national campaign, "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."

This week, anti-DUI operations are planned in Desert Hot Springs, Menifee, Murrieta, Palm Springs and Riverside.

The Avoid campaign will coincide with the CHP's "Maximum Enforcement Period," which is set for Aug. 30-Sept. 2. During the MEP, all available CHP officers hit the streets to nab intoxicated motorists, speeders and other traffic violators.

During last summer's two-week Avoid campaign, 710 people were arrested on suspicion of DUI, compared to 762 in 2011, according to figures.

– City News Service contributed to this report.