Holiday DUI crackdown set to begin

A 19-day law enforcement campaign against impaired drivers in Ventura County starts Friday, Dec. 14, with all 14 of the county's lawenforcement agencies keeping their eyes peeled for DUI suspects through freeway saturation, four sobriety and driver's license checkpoints and in-city DUI patrols.

Simi Valley's checkpoint is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 29.

While all police agencies will emphasize DUI enforcement with officers on regular beats, others have special plans extending beyond checkpoints. In Simi, overlapping shifts will add to DUI coverage.

Last winter's 'Avoid the 14' campaign netted 287 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. No DUIrelated deaths were reported, a sign of the program's success, according to a police spokesperson.

The Avoid movement began in 1973 in Santa Clara County.