Arizona takes pride in being one of the toughest states when it comes to DUIs. The standard penalization mandates ten days of jail time, a fine of $1,250 and the use of devices to lock the ignitions of vehicles.
The Office of the Governor provides grants for increased safety on the highways that were used in the 1990s to create a regional task force aimed at combating DUI infractions. Two towns, Peoria and Buckeye, recently purchased and outfitted vans for processing and vehicles for enforcement using funds from the grants, both of which were used during the weekend of the 4th of July in participation with a statewide program to crack down on DUIs during the holiday weekend.
During the weekend, the officers of West Valley accounted for around seven percent of DUI arrests. In total, there were five hundred and forty three statewide DUI arrests over the weekend.
Police officials are hoping that the mere presence of these specialized resources may send a message to drivers and help to curb the prevalence of intoxicated persons operating motor vehicles.