La Mesa Police to Beef Up July Fourth DUI Enforcement

The La Mesa Police Department announced Monday that DUI enforcement will be beefed up around town during the week of July Fourth.

Several extra officers will be on patrol "aggressively" looking for potentially impaired and distracted drivers.

This comes alongside an announcement by other San Diego area law enforcement and alcohol abuse prevention leaders of a five-day countywide effort to reduce alcohol-related deaths and injuries and prevent underage drinking over the upcoming holiday weekend.

Operation Safeguard will consist of DUI checkpoints, roving DUI patrols, and stepped up enforcement of social host and house party laws throughout San Diego County, organizers said.

They said they hope to reduce alcohol-related deaths by having law enforcement maintain a high profile over the holiday period. They also want to inform the public that social host laws, which prohibit people from hosting drinking parties for minors, will be aggressively enforced.

On the days of July 3, 4, and 5 from 2008-12, there were 54 alcohol-related deaths in San Diego County, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. Of those, 15 involved drunken driving while 21 were due to alcohol-related falls, drowning, poisoning or overdoses.

The Automobile Club says 40 percent of Independence Day traffic deaths involve a drunken driver.

-City News Service contributed to this post