It was a three-day weekend of fireworks, hot dogs, friends, picnics, family and fun. Last weekend’s Fourth of July celebration was also a time in which the Denver Police Department and other Colorado law enforcement agencies stepped up efforts to identify and arrest people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The 2015 arrest totals for the holiday weekend are rolling in. Enhanced enforcement efforts resulted in 219 DUI arrests across our state from Friday, July 3 through the night of Sunday, July 5.
Surprising to many people who check out the Department of Transportation’s website is the fact that Aurora tops Denver in total drunk driving arrests over the weekend. The Aurora Police Department reported taking 27 drivers into custody, while Denver officers arrested 20.
Last year’s crackdown over the Fourth resulted in 48 arrests in Denver, while Aurora reported 38. So the 2015 figures are down dramatically in both cities.
In fact, the numbers are so much lower this year that we will check them again in upcoming days to make sure that the departments don’t update their reports with higher figures. But if things stand as they are now, Denver’s DUI arrests dropped 60 percent and Aurora’s dipped a more modest 30 percent or so.
Of course, because July 4th fell on a Friday last year, the weekend was a four-day celebration for more people, which might well explain the significant differences in arrests between 2014 and 2015.
No matter when a person is arrested for DUI, the consequences they face are the same: jail, suspension of driver’s license, fees, penalties, mandated installation of an ignition interlock device and more. A DUI attorney will inform you of both the penalties you are likely to face and the legal options you have to try to minimize those sanctions.