Law enforcement kicks off ‘100 Days of Heat’

As Coloradans prepare to hit the roads for the summer travel season, the Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement agencies across Colorado will embark on an unprecedented level of summertime DUI enforcement called "100 Days of Heat." The campaign includes additional enforcement periods and plans for more than 150 sobriety checkpoints between the Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. More than one-third of all alcohol-related fatalities in Colorado last year occurred between the two holidays.

The "100 Days of Heat" DUI enforcement begins Memorial Day weekend with more than 65 law enforcement agencies working overtime to conduct saturation and increased patrols to target roadways that are known DUI hot spots. At least 25 of those agencies are also participating in sobriety checkpoints over the long holiday weekend. In 2008, 38 percent of all traffic fatalities in Colorado involved alcohol, killing 211 people.

During the Memorial Day weekend, the Colorado State Patrol will also be implementing its "Colorado Target Zero" campaign with all of its uniformed officers, from the chief on down, working the roads throughout the four days. Their goal is to reduce most traffic fatalities in Colorado by 2025. As the Memorial weekend kicks-off summer holiday driving, the CSP will be highly visible to remind motorists to do their part in making Colorado's highways safer every day to help them reach their long-range enforcement and education goals.

The following law enforcement agencies and troops have filed DUI enforcement plans for Memorial Day weekend, which begins at 6 p.m., May 22 and continues through 3 a.m., May 26.

Saturation patrols:

Adams County sheriff’s office, Alamosa police department, Arapahoe County sheriff, Arvada police, Avon police, Basalt police, Boulder police, Brush police, Chaffee County sheriff, Colorado Springs police, Commerce City police, CSP Troop 1-D Adams, CSP Troop 2-A Canon City , CSP Troop 2-C Lamar, CSP Troop 2-D Pueblo, CSP Troop 3-A Greeley, CSP Troop 4-B Craig, CSP Troop 4-C Glenwood, CSP Troop 6-B Frisco, Elbert County sheriff, Estes Park, Greenwood Village police, Jefferson County police, Lafayette police, Las Animas County sheriff, Littleton police, Mesa County sheriff, Montezuma County sheriff, Northglenn police, Parker police, Pitkin County sheriff, Pueblo County sheriff, Saguache County, Washington County sheriff, Woodland Park police.

Increased patrols :

Auraria Campus police, Boulder County sheriff, Brighton police, Cherry Hills police, Commerce City police, Cortez police, Crested Butte, CSP Troop 1-A Limon, CSP Troop 1-C Castle Rock, CSP Troop 2-B Colo Spgs., CSP Troop 3-B Sterling, CSP Troop 3-C Fort Collins, CSP Troop 5-A Durango, CSP Troop 5-B Alamosa, CSP Troop 5-C Montrose, CSP Troop 6-A Golden, CSP Troop 6-B Frisco, CSP Troop 6-C Broomfield, Denver police, Durango police, Edgewater police, El Paso County sheriff, Erie police, Fountain police, Fremont police, Glenwood Springs police, Grand Junction police, Gunnison police, Kiowa police, Lamar police, Larimer County sheriff, Leadville police, Logan County sheriff, Manitou Springs police, Milliken police, Monument police, Palmer Lake police, Platteville police, Sanford police, Simla police, Teller County sheriff, Weld County sheriff.

Sobriety checkpoints:

May 22, in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Loveland, Fort Collins, Berthoud, Estes Park, Grand Junction, Mesa County and Westminster; May 23 in Adams County, Aurora, Chaffee County, El Paso County, Eagle County, Avon, Glenwood Springs, Gilpin County, Clear Creek County, Black Hawk, Steamboat Springs, Weld County, Greeley, Evans, Fort Lupton, Windsor; May 25 in Parker and Douglas County.

For more information on Colorado's enforcement plans and to view enforcement plans by agency, visit www.dot.state.co.us/trafficsafety/ and click Reports on the header. Choose Enforcement Period Plans, select Memorial Weekend 2009 and click Report.