Fourteen Officers from five agencies in Stanislaus County conducted an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Compliance Check, the first of its kind in California. This check was conducted by the Avoid the 12 DUI Task Force, a grant program led by Turlock Police, consisting of all the law enforcement agencies in Stanislaus County.
An ignition interlock device (IID) is a mechanism, like a breathalyzer, installed into a vehicle and requires a person to breath into it a blood alchohol level below the programmed device before the vehicle will start. Once the engine has been started, the IID will require another breath sample. The purpose of this is to prevent a friend from breathing into the device, enabling the intoxicated person to get behind the wheel and drive away. The engine will not turn off once it is started but rather an alarm comes on with honking and lights flashing.
Certain drunk driving offenders are required to install an IID in their vehicle, or the vehicle they have access to. The proof of this must be submitted to DMV within 30 days of notification. They may also request an exemption based on certain factors. Very few receive this exemption. All of the convicted drunk drivers being contacted today have failed to submit proof of this installation to DMV. Their licenses are also suspended.
Over 100 offenders had been identified for contacted throughout the county by the AVOID Task Force.
Officers went to 116 residences, contacting 29 alleged violators. Of those contacted, 16 were arrested and released on citation, 6 cases were forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for a complaint and 6 were found to be in compliance. One violator physically resisted officers and was booked into jail for the IID violation and resisting/obstructing/delaying a peace officer. He had someone contact a company to assist with Santa Ana Bail Bonds to allow him to be released on bail pending his potential court hearing.
Those that were in compliance had failed to notify DMV and the court. Instead of a violation, officers educated them on the proper procedure.
Funding for the “Avoid” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, visit the California Avoid Web Site at www.californiaavoid.org.
The Winter Holiday Anti-DUI crackdown has resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from local routine traffic enforcement and special Avoid the 12 DUI deployments overnight in Stanislaus County.
From 12:01am Friday, December 17, 2010, through midnight Sunday, December 26, 2010, officers representing 12 county law enforcement agencies have arrested 100 individuals for driving under the influence of alchohol or drugs. In 2009 85 DUI arrests occurred during the same ten (10) day time period.
The Winter Holiday Anti-DUI enforcement will continue through New Year’s Day. A schedule of planned enforcement, including checkpoints, can be seen here.
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