The Hermosa Beach Police Department said it arrested 20 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence last Friday during a drivers license and DUI checkpoint set up on Artesia Boulevard in Hermosa Beach.
The checkpoint was conducted from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m. Friday night near the intersection of Artesia Boulevard and Prospect Avenue.
Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Robert Higgins said that during that time, police made contact with more than 800 drivers. In addition to the 20 drivers arrested under suspicion of DUI, 16 people were cited for driving while unlicensed or with a suspended license and 34 vehicles were impounded as a result of the arrests and citations.
"The high number of drivers arrested for DUI at this checkpoint illustrates that DUI enforcement is an ongoing issue that requires unwavering attention from law enforcement," Hermosa police Lt. Tom Thompson said in a release. "If we saved one person from injury or death caused by one of these impaired drivers, we accomplished our goal."
Hermosa's DUI checkpiont was held in conjunction with the larger South Bay DUI Task Force and the "Avoid the 100" anti-DUI campaign. Funding for the checkpoints was provided through the California Office of Traffic Safety.
