SAN JACINTO — Five people were arrested for driving under the influence at a Friday night checkpoint on State Street, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said, as extra DUI patrols continue through Labor Day.
The San Jacinto Station conducted a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, to 2 a.m. Saturday on State Street north of 7th Street, according to a department update posted Aug. 22. Deputies screened 961 vehicles and conducted 10 field sobriety tests, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Besides the five DUI arrests, deputies issued 28 citations for driving without a license and six other Vehicle Code citations, the department said. Two people were arrested on misdemeanor warrants, and 16 vehicles were stored or impounded.
Sgt. Daniel Chico is the reporting supervisor. In an Aug. 17 announcement of the checkpoint, Chico said impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk.
“Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety,” Chico said.
The Sheriff’s Office said checkpoint sites are chosen from data on impaired-driving crashes. The stated purpose is public safety — taking suspected impaired drivers off the road, not maximizing arrests.
The Aug. 21 stop was part of a longer Labor Day enforcement window. The San Jacinto Station said additional deputies have been on patrol since Aug. 19 and will remain through Labor Day, Sept. 7, looking for drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The extra work is part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
“Enjoying the last days of summer should be all about fun and that starts with making safe choices before making plans,” Deputy Post said in the station’s campaign release. “Everyone deserves to get home safely, and it starts with your everyday actions.”
Citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Sheriff’s Office said 11,904 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in the United States in 2024 — one person every 44 minutes. Impairment is not limited to alcohol, the department said. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and cannabis products can also impair driving. Recreational and medicinal marijuana are legal in California, the Aug. 17 release noted, but driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.
A first-time DUI carries an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties and a suspended license, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Hemet Police Department separately announced extra DUI patrols for the same Aug. 19 through Labor Day period and said it would hold a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint in Hemet from 8 p.m. Aug. 21 to 2 a.m. As of Friday, Aug. 28, Hemet Police had not posted results from that checkpoint.
Both agencies said the enforcement is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA. The Sheriff’s Office advised anyone who sees a suspected impaired driver to call 9-1-1.
