DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint Planned for Friday

A DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint will be conducted by the Colton Police Department Traffic Unit in the area of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Olive Street on March 6 between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment with officers checking drivers for proper licensing, according to a release issued by the Colton Police Department. The delays are expected to be momentary, the release states. Specially trained officers will evaluate those suspected of drug- or alcohol-impaired driving, according to the release. Drugs which may impair driving are not limited to illegal narcotics, says the release, but also many prescription drugs, marijuana and even some over-the-counter medications. “Over the course of the past three years in the City of Colton, DUI collisions have claimed six lives and resulted in 39 injury crashes, harming many of our friends and neighbors,” said Colton Corporal Ray Mendez. The DUI checkpoints are conducted in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, according to Colton police officials, affording the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence, a release states. "Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000," according to the release. Funding for this checkpoint is provided to The Colton Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.