Police To Hold DUI Checkpoint In Santa Rosa

SONOMA COUNTY, CA—The Santa Rosa Police Department announced it will hold a DUI checkpoint Friday, March 21, while the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety held one Friday, March 14.

This March 21 checkpoint is planned from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location within Santa Rosa city limits. The Santa Rosa Police Department chooses where to hold checkpoints by reviewing the history of impaired driving-related crashes and where they occurred.

"The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road," Sgt. Josh Medeiros said. "Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk. Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety.”

Santa Rosa police reminded the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol; some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. And while medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal, police said.

In the DUI checkpoint held March 14 on eastbound Rohnert Park Expressway east of State Farm Drive in Rohnert Park, officers screened 967 of 1,034 cars that entered the checkpoint. The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety arrested one person who was driving on a suspended license due to a prior DUI and cited 10 people for driving unlicensed.

Drivers convicted of a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended driver's license.

"With the availability of rideshare, it is unacceptable to drive intoxicated," Rohnert Park DPS Deputy Chief Aaron Johnson said.

Funds for the checkpoints in both cities were provided by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.