Arizona reports slight jump in number of Thanksgiving weekend DUI arrests
Nov 29, 2017, 12:34 PM
(Public Domain Photo)
(Public Domain Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona officials reported a slight jump Tuesday in the number of DUI arrests made this Thanksgiving weekend compared to last year.
The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said 377 suspected drunk drivers were arrested between Wednesday and Saturday nights of the holiday weekend, up from 333 last year.
“We put a lot of officers out on the road and, at the same time, they made a lot of traffic stops,” Alberto Gutier, the office’s director, said.
Of those arrested this year, 328 people were charged with misdemeanor DUI and 49 were charged with aggravated DUI. Both were increases over last year.
However, the number of extreme DUIs dropped to 73 and the average blood-alcohol content of those arrested dropped slightly from 0.15 to 0.14 — which is still nearly twice the legal limit.
More than 2,600 law enforcement officials took part in the statewide DUI enforcement campaign. Those officers issued more than 5,000 citations for violations other than drinking and driving.
KTAR News’ Ali Vetnar contributed to this report.
