Police to Conduct Checkpoint Saturday in Murrieta

The Murrieta Police Department Traffic Unit will be cracking down on intoxicated and unlicensed drivers this weekend as Halloween celebrations get underway.

A DUI/drivers license checkpoint is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday at an undisclosed location within the city limits, said Sgt. James Gruwell, in a news release.

"Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed three lives and resulted in 24 injury crashes, harming 27 of our friends and neighbors in the city of Murrieta," Gruwell said.

Officers will screen drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.

They also plan to check for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily, Gruwell said.

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, Gruwell said.

"DUI checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes," he said.

"Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough."

The police department is conducting the checkpoint with funds provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, targeting those who still don’t heed the message to designate a sober driver, Gruwell said.

Residents were urged to call 911 if they see a drunk driver.