A zero-tolerance drunk in public operation in Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach on Wednesday netted 22 arrests, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The sweeps, part of the department’s Holiday Watch program with the California Department of Alcoholic and Beverage Control (ABC), took place between 9 p.m. Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday. The night before Thanksgiving is commonly referred to as “Blackout Wednesday” and is known as a big party night for college students and others coming home for the holiday.
The charges against those arrested include possession of a controlled substance, drunk in public, minor in possession of an alcohol, possession of marijuana, and possession of an open container of alcohol in public, according to the sheriff’s office.
The holiday watch program is made possible by a a $100,000 grant from the ABC to help fight alcohol-related crimes and educate ABC-licensed businesses and will run through the first week of January.
According to the California Highway Patrol, police in San Diego County made 22 DUI arrests between Wednesday night and Friday morning, and had one driving fatality. Statewide, police made 401 DUI arrests and saw three driving fatalities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 728 people nationwide will be injured or killed each day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day in drunk driving accidents, a rate two to three times higher than the rest of the year.
