Mesa Police Department 2001 Annual Report
News Article

New limit prompts rise in holiday DUI arrests

by Emma Johnson
The Mesa Tribune
September 4, 2001

     The public was aware of the new drunken driving laws in force over the Labor Day weekend, but people did little to curb their holiday partying, said police and bartenders.
     At midnight Friday, the limit for alcohol in the bloodstream while driving was lowered to 0.08 percent from 0.10 percent. The number of people cited for drunken driving increased substantially over last Labor Day weekend, due in part to beefed-up law enforcement efforts.
     As of noon Monday, 706 people were arrested in Arizona on suspicion of driving under the influence over the four-day Labor Day weekend, compared with 560 in 2000.  
     The Mesa Police Department and Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested 136 people on suspicion of driving under the influence. At least 19 of those people were arrested under the new law, having tested for blood-alcohol limits of between 0.08 percent and 0.099 percent, police said.
     Most people who police stopped or spoke to at checkpoints were aware of the new limits, said Mesa police officer Paul Doncet.
     "Some people were good, but some were very bad," said Doncet, who worked three of the days.
     Nineteen of those arrested had levels of more than 0.15 percent, which the state calls extreme DUI. 
     A sobriety checkpoint was set up Monday at Power and McDowell roads to check those returning from a weekend at the Salt River. Randy Warner, 19, of Tucson said he spend Monday floating down the river on a raft before heading home at 5 p.m. He knew about the new limits but said he was unsure if he had swallowed five or six Budweisers.
     Warner was arrested five miles from the Salt River Recreation Area on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police said they saw him swerve.
     People are often unaware of their alcohol tolerance, said Mesa police Sgt. Bill Peters. Sun, fatigue and hunger make everyone more susceptible to liquor and contributed to many of this weekend's arrests.
     First-time DUI offenders face a minimum of 24 hours in jail, a suspended driver's license for 90 days, and a $500 fine.
     At Casey Moore's bar in Tempe Monday night, Roy Rodriguez said he consumed three beers. The 5-foot-8-inch, 155 pound Rodriguez said he wasn't worried about driving to his Phoenix home under the new law. Like the police, he advocates that each person be aware of their physical limits when drinking.
     "If you're a little bit buzzed but look where you're driving, it's all right," he said.
     Casey Moore' manager Rod Feldhousen said his staff and patrons were aware of the new limits, and that bartenders would closely monitor patrons. 
     "You don't want to see patrons get in trouble," Feldhousen said.

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