4 Arrested as City Again Uses Sobriety Checkpoint

Four drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last weekend when Anaheim police resurrected their sobriety checkpoint station, said Sgt. Ron Lovejoy, who added that the program was put in place because of a sharp increase in accidents involving intoxicated drivers.

Officers set up the checkpoint, at which a sign is posted to alert drivers in advance and allows them to turn off the checkpoint road at 1900 W. Ball Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 2:30 a.m. Saturday if they desire. Lovejoy said 758 drivers passed through the checkpoint.

The checkpoints were first used in Anaheim during the Christmas holidays, when 44 people were arrested in seven days. Lovejoy said statistics for December showed a 44% decrease in drunk driving accidents from the previous year, but a check of statistics for January and February revealed a 51% increase.

“It would appear that after all the hubbub and furor died down, the problem resurfaced all over again,” he said, adding that the program would probably be used “every few months.”