Over 500 motorists in Colorado were taken into custody for driving under the influence during a period of 10 days around the Thanksgiving holiday in November. The arrests were made as part of a campaign called “The Heat is On.” A total of 97 law enforcement agencies took part in the program.
Last year, a similar campaign resulted in more than 280 arrests. However, the enforcement period this year was two times as long as the one last year. Another campaign focused on driving while impaired following the Thanksgiving holiday campaign and involved 90 agencies. This campaign was slated to run through mid-December.
The Colorado State Patrol made a whopping 64 arrests during the enforcement period around Thanksgiving. Several people were also arrested in specific cities, including Denver and Aurora. According to state transportation officials, more than 170 people have died so far in 2016 in DUI crashes in the state of Colorado.
Just because police arrest a person for DUI in Colorado does not mean that person is automatically guilty. Rather, his or her guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt by prosecutors before a conviction can be handed down at trial. Rather than going to trial, a person accused of DUI may choose to strike a plea deal with the prosecution (if available), which may result in a lighter charges and/or a more lenient sentence than what would be imposed following a finding of guilt at trial. Whether the defendant pursues a plea agreement or proceeds to trial, the criminal defense will focus on achieving an outcome that is ultimately in the defendant’s best interests, considering the circumstances surrounding his or her case.
Source: thedenverchannle.com, “CDOT: 500+ drivers arrested for driving while impaired during 10-day Thanksgiving crackdown“, Blair Miller, Dec. 2, 2016