Palm Desert Deputies on Hunt for Impaired Drivers

PALM DESERT — Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station will be out Friday, Dec. 28 from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

DUI saturation patrols will take place in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests. In 2017, 1,120 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes on California roads. In recent years, California has seen an increase in drug-impaired driving crashes. The Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.”  If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.

Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station encourages drivers to follow these tips to avoid a DUI:

• Always use a designated sober driver – a friend who is not drinking, ride-share, cab or public transportation – to get home.
• See someone who is clearly impaired try and drive? Take the keys and help them make other arrangements to find a sober way home.
• Report drunk drivers – Call 911.
• Hosting a party? Offer nonalcoholic drinks. Monitor who is drinking and how they are getting home.
• Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be upwards of $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time.

Funding for this DUI operation is provided to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form by clicking here.