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Posted on March 5, 2021 in DUI Arrest,News
DUI Arrests dropped in December during the 2020 holiday season, compared to 2019. Was this drop in DUI rates due to COVID-19? The holiday season is traditionally a big time for DUI arrests in Arizona.
Every December, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, and local police officers take to the highways and streets searching for alleged drunk drivers leaving holiday parties, bars, and restaurants. But as with most other things last year, December 2020 was different than usual.
The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reports that law enforcement made 1,729 arrests on suspicion of drinking and driving in December. That is a fairly significant drop from December 2019, when officers made 2,184 DU arrests. Arrests for DUI related to drug use also went down year-over-year: 612 this past December, compared with 721 in December 2019.
While the overall number of DUI arrests was down in December, arrests for aggravated DUI and extreme DUI remained high. The average blood-alcohol content measurement for the suspects was .16. Under Arizona law, an element of extreme DUI is a BAC of .15 or higher.
It is likely that more Arizonans stayed home and avoided holiday gatherings this year. But a big reason for the reduced arrest numbers is the lower priority law enforcement agencies put on DUI patrols. The number of officers that participated in DUI task forces in December 2020 compared to 2019 are almost half:
December 2020 – Approx. 9,600 participated
December 2019 – Approx. 16,000 participated
Therefore, the number of traffic stops during the holiday season in 2020 is significantly lower than the previous December. Number of traffic stops during December:
December 2020 – 36,329 stops made
December 2019 – 52,718 stops made
The holidays are over, and law enforcement in Phoenix is constantly looking for a cause to arrest someone on DUI charges. A conviction can mean losing your driver’s license, having to pay a big fine, community service, and more. You must do everything you can to preserve your rights as a defendant. A tough and experienced DUI defense attorney can help. Give the DUI law specialists a call at Rosenstein Law Group today to help with your potential DUI case. It’s free to speak with us, and there’s never an obligation to hire our law firm. Rosenstein Law Group can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling (480) 248-7666