Just under 350 suspected DUI drivers were arrested across the state during a heightened law-enforcement campaign around Halloween.
The Heat Is On campaign, funded by the Colorado Department of Transportation with statewide law enforcement partners, including the Colorado State Patrol, ran from Oct. 26 through Nov. 1, according to a news release.
Officers arrested 349 suspected impaired drivers, down from 375 last year.
“Our goal is to keep the road safe for all users, and impaired drivers pose a serious hazard to themselves and others. It only takes one or two drinks to reduce your coordination, reaction time and judgement,” said Darrell Lingk, a safety director at CDOT. “A DUI is a mistake that will haunt you the rest of your life. Unfortunately, 349 drivers selfishly chose to put everyone on the roads in danger during Halloween.”
Throughout the state, 74 agencies reported arrests from the Halloween enforcement period. Colorado Springs police made 39, Denver 23 and Loveland 14, according to the CDOT release. The state patrol made 57 arrests statewide.
During an earlier Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period, which ran from Sept. 14 to Oct. 22, officers arrested 1,801 impaired drivers, an average of more than 45 per day, CDOT said. Colorado Springs led the way with 187, followed by Denver with 157 and Aurora with 106. The state patrol made 255 arrests statewide.
The Heat Is On returns for Thanksgiving, running from Nov. 16 through Nov. 25. Last year 617 DUI arrests were made over the 10-day span.
