California Highway Patrol to begin maximum enforcement period

The California Highway Patrol will initiate its annual Christmastime “maximum enforcement period” beginning at 6 p.m. Friday night — with all available officers deploying to catch drunken or drug-impaired drivers, speeders and other traffic violators.

The MEP will conclude late Sunday night.

“The CHP will be out on California’s roadways while the public travels to join friends and family this weekend,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Our goal is the same as yours — to make certain you arrive safely at your destination. From our family to yours, we wish you all a safe and happy holiday.”

During last year’s Christmas MEP, CHP officers statewide arrested 573 motorists on suspicion of DUI. According to the agency, 38 people died in crashes investigated by the CHP over the 2020 holiday weekend.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting its own operations, staffing sobriety checkpoints and deploying for targeted patrols between now and New Year’s Day. Another CHP maximum enforcement period is slated for New Year’s weekend.

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