Local and state police officers are making their final big DUI enforcement push of the year. Preliminary numbers show that arrests IN 2016 appear to be on the decline from last year.
A rise in public awareness and the increasing popularity of ridesharing apps like Lyft and Uber are some of the possible explanations. But another reason could be there are fewer officers participating in the holiday season DUI enforcement efforts. Many Arizona law enforcement agencies are still returning to full staffing after hiring freezes and cuts made during the Recession years. As a result, officers have less time to focus on catching impaired drivers.
“When you have those kinds of shortages, there’s going to be less officers, less traffic stops, and less chance of finding people who are drunk," Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Alberto Gutier said.
Gutier anticipates about 25,000 to 26,000 DUI arrests this year as compared to about 27,000 last year.
Over the next few nights, police will be all over the Valley, but targeting Tempe, Glendale, Scottsdale and Phoenix in particular.
