“Avoid the 30” Program Acquires Large DUI Grant in Riverside County

Riverside received a grant to pay for additional DUI patrols; the $385,000 DUI grant came from the state Office of Traffic Safety. The grant will fund more checkpoints and extra patrols to find drivers who are DUI. The grant was received by the “Avoid the 30” program, which refers to the 30 law enforcement agencies in Riverside County. According to the “Avoid the 30” website, there have been 1,030 arrests this year due to additional police patrols on holidays such as Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.

The grant money will be used to pay for overtime and other miscellaneous expenses. With this, law enforcement will be able to set up 13 checkpoints and 118 saturation patrols through till September 2013. There will also be self-funded checkpoints and patrols set up by law enforcement agencies.

Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz commented on the program at a news conference and said, “The main message is if you decided to become intoxicated and get behind the wheel, your chances of getting caught are very good.”

All DUI saturation points are in addition to the regular patrol and traffic enforcement operating in Riverside County.