Some people think if they don’t show up for a court hearing, the police won’t have the manpower to come find them. Motorists who have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs shouldn’t count on that.
Yolo County law enforcement officers with dozens of outstanding arrest warrants fanned out into neighborhoods Saturday morning in search of high-risk DUI offenders. Five offenders who either failed to show up for a court date or violated terms of their probation in an outstanding DUI case were taken into custody by the officers, Davis police Sgt. Rod Rifredi reported.
Those caught often face additional jail time for failing to appear in court or for violating probation, Rifredi said.
In addition, from Friday, Dec. 13, through Friday, Dec. 20, officers representing eight law enforcement agencies in Yolo County arrested five people for DUI. In 2012, nine such arrests occurred during the same eight-day time period.
Special DUI warrant service operations, along with regularly scheduled high-visibility DUI enforcement have a deterrent effect on those who disregard driving safety and abuse alcohol and drugs, Rifredi said.
“Yolo County law enforcement places a high priority on lowering deaths and injury with the goal of removing impaired drivers and heightening awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” he added.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.