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With the Fourth Of July this weekend, people will be out watching fireworks and possibly pairing that with a little drinking. Naturally that means the LAPD have set up DUI checkpoints and heightened patrols throughout the weekend in an effort to ensure the roads are as safe as possible as we celebrate our independence.
While some people, including our beloved @LAScanner, may find that giving out advanced warning of DUI crackdowns is like giving out a cheat sheet to people breaking the law, studies have shown that publicizing them will actually decrease the number of drunk drivers on the road.
"People having foresight aren't the ones who are committing this crime," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck once told LAist. "People who are thinking ahead aren't the ones that this checkpoint is likely to catch. I think that the publicity surrounding these things is so important that if you give a couple of locations, that's fine."
Here's the DUI checkpoints and areas with saturation patrols this Fourth of July weekend:
Thursday, July 3rd:
- saturation patrol in Hollywood from 4 p.m. to midnight
- DUI checkpoint at Vermont Avenue and 5th Street in the Olympic Area from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturday, July 5th:
- DUI checkpoint at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard the Southwest Area from 6 p.m. to midnight
- DUI checkpoint at Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue in Hollywood from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- DUI checkpoint at Figueroa Street and 9th Street in the Central Area from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- DUI checkpoint at Oxnard Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday, July 6th:
- saturation patrol in the Central Area from 4 p.m. to midnight
- saturation patrol in the Mission Area from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
As always, please don't drink and drive, and have a designated driver or call a cab if you do plan on drinking. Be safe, and have a happy Fourth of July.
