The cool breezes ripple through the yellow and bright red leaves, pulling them from the branches. The brightly colored fronds twirl and spin, dancing in the air before taking their final bows and landing softly on the ground. As we all know, autumn can be a breath-taking time of year.
It’s also the time when Denver police cars light up around town as part of a statewide law enforcement crackdown on DUI. If it seems as if we just had a Labor Day crackdown, you are correct. The two periods of enhanced patrols are virtually back to back.
The final numbers are in for this year’s Labor Day enforcement period, which began August 21 and lasted through the Tuesday after the national holiday. The tally of DUI drivers arrested across Colorado: 1,021. You might recall that a few days ago in this space, we predicted that this year’s total would be smaller than last year’s Labor Day enforcement. The prediction held up, as 2014 had resulted in 1,102 holiday drunk driving arrests.
How will this year’s Fall Festival crackdown compare to last year’s? Only time will tell. Last year’s enforcement period began in early September and lasted until 10 days before Halloween. It ended with 1,854 drivers facing DUI charges.
This year’s Fall Festival crackdown is already underway. It lasts until Monday, October 26. So far, 36 arrests have been reported to the Colorado Department of Transportation, but you can bet many more are coming.
If you wind up being among those facing charges, you have a number of decisions to consider, including whether or not to contest the charges with the help of an attorney. If you look around, you’ll see that challenging a DUI can result in reduced penalties or even dropped charges. If those possibilities sound good, you can speak with a Denver attorney devoted to DUI defense.