For Immediate Release: May 16, 2008
Contact: Communications Specialist
Lisa Wilson, 303-538-7282
Thornton Police
Sgt. Lee Vitgenos, 720-977-5300

The heat is on: Thornton police begin Summer DUI Checkpoint Enforcement Program

First checkpoint will occur over the Memorial Day Weekend

THORNTON, CO…The Thornton Police Department kicks off its summer DUI Checkpoint enforcement program on May 24 during the Memorial Day Holiday.  Thornton Police Officers will conduct two DUI Checkpoints in the northern part of the city, on Colorado Blvd and on 120th Avenue. “While we want everyone to enjoy the holiday weekend, we know that some folks overdo it, and then get behind the wheel,” says Thornton Police Sgt. Lee Vitgenos. “The DUI checkpoints are an effort to remove impaired drivers from the roads, and raise awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving.”  Over the 2007 Memorial Day holiday weekend, 825 cars passed through the Thornton checkpoint and officers made eight arrests. 

A summer DUI checkpoint operation is also planned for Labor Day and a large saturation patrol will take place sometime during the month of July.  “These operations augment the ongoing DUI enforcement activities of the police department’s patrol division in an effort to make the streets of Thornton safer for all who ride on them,” says Vitgenos.

The Memorial Day checkpoint is made possible by LEAF Funds from The Colorado Department of Transportation. These funds allows the Thornton Police Department to conduct these types of operations with the goal of taking DUI drivers off the street before they cause an accident.

For more information contact Thornton Police Sgt. Lee Vitgenos at 720-977-5300.

 

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