Crime & Safety
DUI Checkpoint Planned In Santa Monica This Week
The SMPD plans to ramp up drunken-driving enforcement in Santa Monica this week.

SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica Police Department will ramp up drunken-driving enforcement on Friday with a DUI checkpoint, the department announced.
Police will conduct the checkpoint at an undisclosed location in the city between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
The DUI checkpoint location targets an area with a record of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests, police said.
Find out what's happening in Santa Monicafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"SMPD reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal," the department said in a release.
Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license, according to the SMPD.
Find out what's happening in Santa Monicafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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