Ryan ChartrandThe University Police Department will operate its first ever DUI checkpoint on campus this Friday from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Statistics from the San Luis Obispo County law enforcement mark Memorial Day weekend as a holiday in which there are typically an increased amount of DUI related accidents and arrests.
The checkpoint is being coordinated as part of the “Avoid the 14” campaign, which is comprised of 14 different San Luis Obispo law enforcement agencies that are committed to stopping drinking and driving in the area.
“We volunteered because FBI statistics show that DUI checkpoints are the number one deterrent of drinking and driving,” University Police Sgt. Carol Montgomery said. “The checkpoints are set up not to catch people but to deter people from driving in the first place.”
The University Police Department has a long history of participating with “Avoid the 14” events and has pledged to do its part at Cal Poly to spread the message about drinking and driving.
The checkpoint is financed through a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, that designates the days in which DUI checkpoint scan operate. The University Police Department did not have control over what day was chosen to establish its checkpoint. On days or weekends of heightened risk, the county chooses one of any of the law enforcement agencies to monitor a checkpoint.
“For us, a successful checkpoint would be one in which a large amount of cars were checked but there were a low amount of arrests,” Montgomery said. “This is not just targeting students, but it is to deter people in the community as well from drinking and driving because sometimes people cut through campus late at night.”
The exact location of the on-campus checkpoint will not be released by University Police Department until 5 p.m. Friday.
“The smartest spot to put the checkpoint would be near the dormitories or one of the parking lots,” animal science senior Kassondra Mason said. “Still, it is difficult to tell if it would be effective, a few miles outside campus may get more people.”
In a typical weekend university police make between one and four DUI arrests patrolling both on and off campus.
“I don’t think many people drink and drive on campus on a Friday night,” electrical engineering junior Ed Guo said. “It would be better to put it somewhere like Mustang Village.”
“If they catch at least a few people drinking and driving, then it’s worth it, but there are probably better places than on campus,” business sophomore Stacy Anderson said.
During the Mardi Gras holiday weekend crackdown in recent years, the sobriety checks were all on the outskirts of campus and operated by the California Highway Patrol.
“We just want to send a message out there,” Montgomery said. “Whether people are staying home or traveling outside the county, please remember not to drink and drive.”