DUI Checkpoints Coming

UCSB police plan to beef up their visibility this fall quarter in part by implementing DUI checkpoints at the streets into Isla Vista on September 27 during “move in” weekend. The checkpoints will be held consistently in the coming months, which marks a new effort on the part of the university to patrol Isla Vista.

“We are trying to make sure that if you are coming in, you are going to be responsible, and you are going to know that law enforcement is out there,” said UCSB Police Sergeant Robert Romero. “Keep I.V. local. Keep I.V. safe.” DUI patrol stops aren’t new to the Isla Vista area, but in the past they have been held by California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s department. Romero would not say exactly when or how many future checkpoints will be held. By law, agencies are required to notify the public 24 hours in advance. The checkpoints could be held from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

“We want to try to curb drinking and driving,” he added, “and also outsiders that come into our town and outsiders who are planning on drinking and driving.” The university police fleet increased its patrolling on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights about a month ago when SBCC students arrived for school, Romero said. “It’s not all about enforcement but about high visibility.”

The UCSB Police Department will be hiring two new officers in the coming weeks. These officers were part of the five new ones that Chancellor Henry Yang said last February he would hire after the brutal gang rape shook the entire community.