More drivers were arrested for suspicion of driving intoxicated during this year’s Fourth of July weekend than in 2015, according to numbers released by state transportation officials.
The more than 90 departments in the state that participated in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s “Heat is On” enforcement from July 1-5 reported arresting 312 drivers.
Aurora Police Department arrested 39 drivers over the weekend. Denver officers arrested 19 drivers, and Colorado State Patrol arrested 64 drivers.
The numbers are up from 2015 when the enforcement period of four days resulted in 288 arrests, but overall arrests have decreased since 2009 when a five-day period resulted in 572 arrests. That year, the Denver Police Department arrested 73 drivers, and 36 were arrested by Aurora officers.
“It’s unfortunate that impaired drivers make the bad decision to put themselves and all others on the road in danger,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol in a released statement. “With Colorado law enforcement agencies working sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, I’m sure many alcohol-related crashes were avoided over the holiday weekend.”
The next enforcement period is the Labor Day Crackdown from Aug. 19 to Sept. 6.
