Morgan Hill – When New Year’s Day ended – and with it the anti-DUI campaign known as “Avoid the 13” – Morgan Hill Police officers had arrested 67 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence, more than double the number of arrests last year.
There were no fatalities during the annual campaign, which runs from Dec. 15 through midnight Jan. 1.
“The effort by our officers was remarkable,” said Morgan Hill Police Chief Bruce Cumming. “We had a highly-motivated group out there working very hard. You can only think about the deaths and injuries we prevented in arresting this large number of DUI suspects in one small city.”
Cumming temporarily reassigned day shift traffic officer Steve Pennington to nights; he made 15 of the department’s arrests. The chief characterized Pennington as “highly motivated and skillful.”
In addition to Pennington’s move to nights during the campaign, all MHPD officers were on the alert for reckless and under-the-influence drivers. Though officers focus on enforcement year-round, the holiday season can be a particularly dangerous time, as many people attend parties and family get-togethers.
Cumming said at the beginning of the campaign that he hoped Morgan Hill residents would be concerned for their safety and the safety of others by arranging designated drivers or taking taxis if they were planning to drink at a party.
Morgan Hill police Sgt. Mark Brazeal, who supervises the traffic unit, praised the efforts of the entire department.
“We certainly had more arrests per capita,” he said. “The top officer in the county had 21 arrests, and he’s from San Jose, which is over 30 times larger, and Steve was second only to him. Not to downplay anyone else’s accomplishments, but with our resources, to do as well as we did shows a high degree of dedication and determination … On the other hand, it shows possibly more people not following common sense and public education about designated drivers. It’s a good news, bad news situation.”
Jan Ford, public information officer for the 34-year-old Avoid the 13 campaign, which is sponsored by the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs Association, said MHPD’s efforts brought in the third largest number of DUI arrests, behind San Jose police officers with 173 and the San Jose office of the California Highway Patrol with 108.
Countywide, there were 716 total arrests by officers, sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers during this year’s campaign, up 27 percent from last year’s 562 arrests.
There were four deaths in the county attributed to driving under the influence, Ford said, compared to no deaths during last year’s campaign.
Two early morning collisions Monday in Los Gatos and San Jose took the lives of two San Jose men, one 25 years old and the other 29. Palo Alto and San Jose were the locations of the other two deaths, one on Dec. 17 and one on Dec. 20.
“These tragic deaths are further evidence of the bad judgment caused by alcohol,” said Chief Scott Seaman of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Police, campaign chairman. “Driving while impaired is like releasing an unguided missile. It’s one of the most dangerous crimes in our community.”
County efforts to increase DUI enforcement during the campaign included sobriety checkpoints, in-city DUI patrols, a 50-officer strike team on opening night, CHP freeway saturation and emphasis on DUI enforcement with officers on regular beats.
Avoid the 13 is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, which funds similar efforts in 35 other counties throughout the state. The Santa Clara County Avoid the 13 campaign started with 13 agencies participating and has kept the original name even though the number of agencies participating is grown. The county’s effort is the oldest in the state.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
