The Orange County, California DUI Task Force is a multiagency task force made up of the California Highway Patrol, local police agencies and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. This task force is also known as the “Avoid the 38” which refers to the 38 law enforcement agencies involved in the anti-DUI enforcement operation.
A two-week anti-DUI period, leading up to Labor Day, is already under way and has so far resulted in more than 500 arrests for DUI. Orange County authorities report that 543 DUI arrests have been made since mid-August and, they expect that number to go up.
DUI checkpoints and roving patrols are planned throughout Orange County beginning Friday, August 31 through Monday, September 3rd. Brea Police Department will conduct a checkpoint from Friday at 8:30 p.m. until Saturday at 2:30 a.m. Santa Ana PD will conduct their checkpoint from Saturday at 8:30 p.m. through Sunday at 1:30 a.m. at 2000 W. First Street. Buena Park’s checkpoint will be from Saturday at 7:00 p.m. until Sunday at 2:00 a.m. at Beach Blvd., and 10th Street.
The summer Labor Day campaign, which ends on August 3rd, also included a DUI warrant operation. South Orange County was targeted and those who failed to appear on a prior DUI arrest were sought out and arrested. The campaign also included a court sting operation which took place at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. Defendants who were in Court and had their licenses suspended for DUI, were followed out to their car after their court appearance, and if they got in a car and drove, they were pulled over and arrested for driving on a suspended license. There were six arrested as a result of the court sting operation.
Anyone who has been arrested for DUI should seek the immediate advice of an experienced criminal defense attorney, specializing in driving under the influence arrests. If the arrest was a result of a DUI checkpoint, a good DUI defense attorney will look closely at whether the checkpoint was conducted according to guidelines. If the police department conducting the checkpoint did not follow the guidelines properly, the checkpoint is determined to be unlawful and any evidence obtained during the arrest may not be admissible in Court.