Labor Day weekend DUI arrests in Arizona up from 2013
Sep 1, 2014, 2:26 PM | Updated: Sep 2, 2014, 4:33 pm
PHOENIX — Arizona authorities made more DUI arrests over Labor Day weekend than they did during the same holiday weekend in 2013.
The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) said 582 DUI arrests were made in the state between Aug. 28 and the morning of Sept. 1. That’s up from the 503 DUI arrests made last year. Authorities made about 500 more traffic stops this year than they did in 2013.
The number of aggravated DUI arrests (61) were down this year compared to last (74), but DUI misdemeanors were much higher (521 to 429). Additionally the number of extreme DUI arrest (when blood-alcohol content is .15 or higher) was up slightly this year (174 to 161), as were DUI drug arrests (103 to 85).
The most startling spike was the number of under-21 liquor law citations, which jumped from 82 last year to 159 over this Labor Day weekend.
However, the number of other citations — such as speeding tickets — dropped from 5,591 to 6,848.
The state had slightly more participating officers and deputies this year than it did last year (1,992 to 1,943).
“These statistics are the result of the dedication and training of police and highway patrol officers, sheriff deputies, volunteers, and other law enforcement personnel that comprise the DUI task forces throughout Arizona,” the GOHS release said. “Our goal is to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries on our streets and highways by enforcing DUI and traffic laws in our state.”
The 582 arrests for DUI were more than those made on Labor Day weekend in 2012, but fewer than the 2011 tally.
