Halloween Nightmare Comes True for 375 Drivers Arrested During DUI Enforcement

STATEWIDE—In the latest sweep of Colorado's The Heat is On campaign, CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and other law enforcement agencies collaborated to halt impaired drivers over Halloween weekend, resulting in the arrests of 375 drivers—an increase from 325 arrests during last year's fall campaign.

"The solution is simple: Don't drive impaired under any circumstance," said Darrell Lingk, director of CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety. "A DUI is a mistake that will stay with you the rest of your life and is never worth the risk. Unfortunately, 375 drivers selfishly chose to put everyone on the roads at risk."

One-hundred-and-twenty agencies participated in the enforcement period, with CSP (68 arrests), the Denver Police Department (28 arrests) and the Colorado Springs Police Department (29 arrests) recording the highest arrest totals.

"Impaired driving is an issue that we take very seriously," said CSP Chief Col. Scott Hernandez. "We have zero tolerance for people who drive impaired, and our goal is to arrest any individual who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol on our roadways."

During the Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period, which ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 23, law enforcement arrested 1,837 impaired drivers, an average of 47 arrests per day. The arrest total marks an increase from the 1,498 arrests made during the same enforcement last year. The most arrests came from the Colorado Springs Police Department (188), Denver Police Department (170) and Greeley Police Department (69). The CSP reported 309 arrests statewide.

The Heat Is On returns Friday, Nov. 17 for a 10-day Thanksgiving holiday DUI enforcement. Last year, 522 drivers were arrested for DUI during a five-day heightened patrol.

Access CDOT's The Heat Is On arrest database for all enforcement periods. Arrest data can be sorted based on law enforcement agency, county and enforcement period.

The CDOT Highway Safety Office provides funding to Colorado law enforcement for impaired driving enforcement, education and awareness campaigns. The Heat Is On campaign runs throughout the year with 14 specific high-visibility impaired-driving-enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events. Enforcement periods can include sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty dedicated to impaired driving enforcement.

Learn more about the campaign, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips.