Arizona officials report big drop in Halloween weekend DUI arrests

PHOENIX — Officials in Arizona reported a big drop in the number of Halloween weekend DUI arrests, it was announced Tuesday.

The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said its statewide task force made 209 DUI arrests this year, down from 320 last year and 295 in 2014.

The numbers of aggravated, misdemeanor, extreme and prior DUI arrests all dropped, while the same number of people were charged with underage drinking and driving as last year.

There was also a drop in drug DUIs.

However, officials reported a jump in citations issued for both not wearing a seat belt and improperly restraining a child.

The number of non-DUI citations also increased.

The average blood-alcohol content was up as well — this year, those arrested had an average of .158, topping last year’s average of .143.

Nearly 200 more officers participated in the task force than last year.

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