The Associated Press
Los Angeles (AP) -- Disturbed by soaring drunken driving accidents, police officers are now staking out the homes of habitual DUI motorists to catch them violating conditions of their probation.
A task force of five San Fernando Valley officers who wait for hours, sometimes days, outside homes have made 18 arrests for probation violations since the novel tactic began in December, officials said. The program is being expanded citywide this week.
“They might intend to comply with their probation conditions, but a lot of them are not going to be able to go along with the program,” Capt. Greg Meyer said.
Working with the city attorney’s office, the team has identified 721 people in the San Fernando Valley who have at least two driving under the influence convictions on their record. Forty of those motorists have three misdemeanor DUI convictions.
“Every one of these suspects are potential killers,” Officer Doug Gerst said. “They’re out here with no insurance, no driver’s license. Most of them drink. They are the ones who are the most likely to take out a family.”
There were 192 alcohol-related crashes in the San Fernando Valley from Jan. 1 to March 27. There were 195 during the same period last year and 173 in 2002.
“In an ideal society, we shouldn’t need folks checking up on people. But we don’t have that kind of society,” said Supervising City Attorney Richard A. Schmidt, who is working with the LAPD on the task force. “When you put people in a 3,000-pound car and it’s aimed at someone else’s family, these repeat drunk drivers are tremendously dangerous people.”
On Dec. 17, a two-officer team staked out the North Hollywood home of a 65-year-old retiree with three drunken driving convictions. He had been put on probation for five years, and his driver’s license had been suspended.
After waiting two hours, officers saw the man pull his car into his driveway and stagger out of the vehicle. His blood-alcohol level was 0.15 percent, nearly two times the legal limit for driving.
Compounding the problem is a cost-cutting program implemented by Sheriff Lee Baca that allows the early release of jail inmates convicted of misdemeanors, including drunken drivers, police said.
The Sheriff’s Department said 4,700 convicted drunk drivers were given early release from December 2002 to February 2004.
“Sadly and incorrectly, impaired drivers are considered the lowest threat to society on the totem pole,” said Tina Pasco, the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Los Angeles. “But it’s a violent crime. They’re just as devastating as other crimes.”