A major crackdown on DUI drivers starts today for 18 days across Sonoma County with extra officers looking for drunken drivers and four DUI/license checkpoints this weekend.

It’s all part of the county’s Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force’s “summer mobilization” campaign, which itself is part of a nationwide DUI crackdown organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Petaluma Police Sgt. Ken Savano, coordinator of the Avoid the 13 task force, said two DUI checkpoints will be held tonight and two on Saturday night. A total of six more checkpoints will be held during the crackdown period.

Unlike past announcements of upcoming checkpoints, police are not revealing in what cities the checkpoints will be held because they don’t want people to feel they can drink and drive in a city not holding a checkpoint. Petaluma police often conduct checkpoints, so it’s probably a good bet that there’ll be one or more there.

In additional to the local checkpoints, Savano said participating police agencies will have extra officers on duty specifically searching for DUI drivers in addition to regular patrol officers looking for suspects.

He said the extra officers and those at the checkpoints will be on overtime paid for by grants via the state Office of Traffic Safety.

Savano said local police have been part of the national anti-DUI campaign all seven years that it’s been conducted. Last year, 252 drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI during the 18-day crackdown in the county. Eighteen of those suspects were arrested at the eight checkpoints held last summer. During that 18-day crackdown, eight DUI-related crashes occurred, injuring 10 people. But no fatalities.

Last year, as part of the campaign, officers also conducted DUI probation and parole checks and served warrants on DUI suspects.

The county agencies participating in the current anti-DUI effort are all of the city police departments, the Sheriff’s Office, CHP, Sonoma State University police, Santa Rosa Junior College police, county Probation Department, state Alcohol Beverage Control Department and state parks rangers.

On the first day of the crackdown, Savano reported that a Vallejo man was arrested for the 10th time on a DUI-related charge. CLICK HERE to read about that.

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