Alameda County Employs New Device In Holiday DUI Crackdown
ALAMEDA (KCBS) - With the holiday season in full swing, law enforcement agencies throughout the region were reminding revelers of the importance of designated drivers.
In Alameda County, authorities tried to get the word out that a DUI conviction would come with a new, high-tech consequence, as well.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
A rapid, high-pitched beeping noise indicated the presence of an ignition interlock device, which would prevent a driver from starting a car if there's alcohol detected on that person's breath.
People convicted of driving under the influence in Alameda County would, for the first time, have that device installed on their vehicles.
In doing so, Alameda became the fourth county in California to employ such a law.
At the California Highway Patrol office in Oakland, a volunteer subject was allowed to consume alcohol Friday morning to help demonstrate the effectiveness of the device.
He was then driven home.
That was the message authorities hoped to impress upon the general public.
"We'll be pulling people over and making arrests," warned CHP assistant chief Bill Fontana. "It might be here in Oakland, it might be in San Francisco or San Jose. Anywhere in the Bay Area you are traveling, if you are drunk, we will find you."
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