Folsom steps up DUI enforcement

By Steffi Broski
CNS Staff Writer

The statistics are grim.

Two years ago, the Office of Traffic Safety ranked Folsom 28 out of 106 California towns with populations of 50,001 to 100,000 for the most alcohol-related collisions.

In 2007, 55 people died in alcohol-related collisions in Sacramento County and 887 people were injured.

In February, an intoxicated driver hit a Folsom police officer, and a few weeks ago, a suspected drunk driver in Southern California killed Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others.

“As a society, we have become complacent about drinking and driving,” said Folsom Police Chief Sam Spiegel. “People don’t think of it as this is a person that may be killing one of their family members.”

With more than 80 more Folsom DUI arrests in 2008 than 2007, and already 82 arrests in January and February of this year, it remains unclear whether the arrest numbers indicate success in the fight against driving under the influence or just showcase the dimensions of the problem.

Spiegel said it is possible arrests are up because of increased DUI enforcement. Fifteen more officers have been hired since 2007. In October, Folsom assigned an officer to DUI enforcement. Traffic Officer Robert Challoner now cruises the streets looking for traffic offenders, and in particular, those who are impaired due to intoxication.

“Last summer we saw an increase in drunk driving. We had regular patrolmen that saw the problem, but knew they were missing out because they had to take care of other calls,” Challoner said.

Upon arresting the drivers, the excuse is almost always the same. “They downplay it,” Challoner said. He said one of the biggest problems is the notion that “everybody drives drunk once in a while.”

But penalties are harsh. Spiegel said a first-time offender will have to pay thousands of dollars, deal with lost days at work, attorney fees, rehabilitation and meetings.

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Clark said a third-time offender who causes an accident that injured someone will automatically be charged with a felony. Second and third time DUI offenses are common, she said.

While most DUIs in Folsom are related to drinking, drug and prescription medication use impair driving as well, Spiegel said.

People of all ages are being charged with DUIs. In Folsom, 200 people between 21 and 30 years old were the majority of DUI arrests in 2008, but there were almost a 100 offenders in their thirties and 73 offenders between ages 41 and 50.

“Last week I had a gentleman in court that was 81 years old,” Clark said. “DUI is one of those crimes that crosses all financial, ethnic and cultural boundaries and barriers.”

Clark, along with two district attorney criminal investigators and their supervisor Lieutenant Jason Gray, has formed the Recidivist Driving Under the Influence Program. The RED Team, which is financed with grant money from the state Office of Traffic Safety, is targeting repeat DUI offenders who have failed to appear in court. They will meet regularly with law enforcement.

“We just had our first meeting,” Clark said. “We talk about DUI prosecution and get all on the same page to see what really works.”

Clark said between arrest and court date, the offenders tend to “change their story.” At the meetings, officers receive helpful advice in how to gather enough evidence, such as feeling the hood of the car to see if it is warm from driving, measuring the distance between wheel and seat or asking the person if he or she was driving.

A few times a year, Folsom police set up checkpoints to catch intoxicated drivers. At a City Council meeting a few weeks ago, Spiegel asked the council for permission to apply for grant funding for, among other items, more frequent DUI checkpoints. The Folsom Police Department will be notified in five to six weeks if they received the grant.

City Councilman Ernie Sheldon said checkpoints are good, but DUIs are an “on-going, everyday affair.”

His interest in the topic is personal. Sheldon was hit by a drunk driver one late afternoon in 2005. He had a sore neck for a while, but said he was lucky – his injuries could’ve been much worse.

Although most alcohol-involved fatal collisions in California take place in the evening hours and shortly after midnight, the OTS numbers indicate that they continuously occur throughout the day.

Spiegel said the department works with several organizations in its fight against driving under the influence, such as Citizens Assisting Public Safety. A number of Folsom bars are giving out buttons to designated drivers, who will then be served only non-alcoholic drinks, oftentimes free of charge. If there is no designated driver, cabs are always waiting to take intoxicated passengers to wherever they’d like to go.

“I will never forget what the cab driver told us that one New Years Eve night,” Clark said.

She was in her twenties and out with girlfriends. At the end of the night, they ordered a cab. As they were sitting in it, the cab driver explained that it is cheaper to take a cab from Napa Valley to Los Angeles and back than to get a DUI.

“That always stuck with me,” she said.