Maximum enforcement levels to prevent DUI crashes over holiday

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — While San Diegans get ready for the Fourth of July weekend, so are local police and law enforcement agencies.

It’s not a new message, but it’s one that has to be repeated over and over again.

Celebrate and have fun this weekend, but don’t hit the road if you’re buzzed.

At a news conference about holiday safety, Division Chief Gonzalo Mendez, with the County Probation Department revealed.

His brother was killed by a drunk driver on July 4, sixteen years ago.

As tens of thousands of people head for the parks, the beaches and bays, the people charged with ensuring their safety warn of the dangers posed by drivers who are drunk or drugged, going too fast or simply taking their attention away from the road.

This, however, will not be a holiday for law enforcement officers. Starting Friday night and running through Monday, San Diegans can expect to see more saturated patrols and DUI checkpoints.

In San Diego, the number of DUI related collisions has spiked, going from 6 in 2014 to 9 DUI crashes in 2015.

Chief Gonzalo Mendez said he has no sympathy for DUI offenders, especially those who are convicted more than once.

After his brother’s death, Mendez – then a probation officer – helped to establish a county-wide DUI enforcement team to monitor and track the worst DUI offenders to ensure that they don’t commit the same crime again.