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Crime & Safety

Albany Police Continue Crackdown on Impaired Drivers with DUI Checkpoint

The summertime DUI campaign continues in the city with increased enforcement and and a focus on awareness.

The will conduct a checkpoint for impaired drivers and valid licenses from Saturday, June 25, at 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Sunday.

The checkpoint will take place on San Pablo Avenue within the city limits. 

According to information released by Albany Police Sgt. Chris Willis, the department "is continuing its efforts at lowering the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes," both locally and through an Alameda County campaign called .

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Officers will check drivers to identify offenders and get them off the street, and work to heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving, said Willis.

Public safety officials say the summer months are dangerous, and pose increased chances of being involved in an alcohol-involved collision. 

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In 2008, law enforcement agencies statewide reported that 7,801 people were injured or killed during June, July and August.  

A major component of the checkpoints, police say, beyond taking dangerous drivers off the road, is to increase awareness of the consequences of impaired driving and encourage the use of sober designated drivers. 

By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the Albany Police Department said it hopes to deter drivers from drinking.  

The Albany Police Department will also partner this summer with the , where participating law enforcement agencies put additional officers out on checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols during the Independence Day holiday and during the end of August/Labor Day in a nationwide anti-DUI effort called "Over the Limit, Under Arrest."

Law enforcement officers encourage people to report drunk drivers.

Within the city limits, people in Albany can call 510-525-7300 on cell phones, or 911 from landlines. (Calling 911 on a cell phone routes callers through the California Highway Patrol.)

Funding for the June 25 operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com. 

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