Arizona law enforcement reports slight uptick in Memorial Day DUI arrests
May 30, 2017, 3:05 PM
(Public Domain Photo)
(Public Domain Photo)
PHOENIX — More people were arrested this year than last for a DUI over Memorial Day weekend, figures from law enforcement released Tuesday said.
The Arizona Governor’s Office for Highway Safety said 552 people were arrested by a statewide task force over the holiday weekend, up from 499 in 2016.
“Overall, it was a good enforcement, but at the same time, I think our officers, our sheriff’s deputies and our troopers saved some lives by making traffic stops,” Alberto Gutier with the office said.
The office said 479 people were charged with misdemeanor DUI, 119 were charged with extreme DUI and 73 were charged with aggravated DUI. All were increases over the previous year.
Law enforcement also reported a spike in seat belt violations as more than 100 additional people were cited this year than last.
Though there were more arrests this year, law enforcement reported a lower blood-alcohol content level that last year — 0.136 compared to 0.149.
The number of underage and drug-related DUI arrests remained steady.
Last weekend was the second time this year law enforcement has seen a rise in DUIs over a holiday weekend. More than 500 people were charged with driving under the influence over the Cinco de Mayo weekend.
KTAR’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.
