CHP DUI Checkpoint Planned Friday In RivCo

BEAUMONT, CA — Officers with the California Highway Patrol's San Gorgonio Pass division will staff a DUI sobriety checkpoint Friday evening in unincorporated Riverside County.

The office is responsible for overseeing traffic operations across 860 square miles, including in the communities of Banning, Beaumont, Cabazon, Hemet, San Jacinto and Winchester.

According to the CHP, officers will start setting up the checkpoint at an undisclosed location at 8 p.m. and will begin screening drivers at 8:30 p.m. The checkpoint will remain operational until 2 a.m. Saturday.

"The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by CHP officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers," the CHP said in a news release. "Officers will also be equipped with state-of-the-art, handheld breath testing devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentration of suspected drunk drivers."

Drivers who are taken into custody at the checkpoint will be booked into the Southwest Detention Facility or Larry D. Smith Detention Facility. According to the CHP, drivers convicted of their first DUI can expect to pay $13,500 in penalties, fees and fines and have their license suspended or revoked.

DUI checkpoints are paid for by federal grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded annually by the state Office of Traffic Safety.