Novato Police's DUI Tally for September is Modern-Day Record

After a mind-boggling spike in arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in early September, the Novato Police Department reported a sharp decline in the second half of the month.

Acting Lt. Jennifer Welch said September ended with 29 DUI arrests, more than any other month dating to at least January 2006, which is as far back as police can easily obtain the stats.

However, 18 of the 29 arrests came in the first nine days of September, a rate of two per day and an insane pace of 60 for the month.  (1.3 per day, pace of 39). So ending up at just about one per day could be a small victory considering the earlier trajectory.  

Were drivers just more cautious later in the month? Were traffic officers not at maximum enforcement? Or was it just that fewer people got caught?

“Although we can’t determine the exact cause of increased DUI arrests, officers are more trained in DUI recognition and investigation than we’ve ever been," Welch said. "The Novato Police Department remains vigilant in all traffic related enforcement and has zero tolerance for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

The monthly average by NPD officers has been 15.6 DUI arrests over the past two years. Since 2006, the worst month for DUI arrests in Novato was July 2012 when there were 26. In fact, the total has been 20 or more in four months this year. Between 2006 and this year, there were only five months with 20 or more DUIs.

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