Boulder County cops looking for DUIs [Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.]

Dec. 31--LONGMONT -- Longmont officers and Boulder County deputies are part of a statewide plan -- now almost as traditional as toasting the new year with alcohol -- to increase patrols searching for drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Officer Kris Ford said Longmont will have two officers dedicated solely to DUI patrols overnight on Saturday, while Boulder County will field six dedicated deputies as part of the Heat Is On campaign, which provides funding to pay extra officers. They are part of more than 90 agencies statewide that will have stepped up patrols this weekend through 3 a.m. Monday.

"We have had DUIs as early as 4 or 5 in the afternoon," Ford said of past new-year patrols. "Things get really hectic around midnight."

He said of 17 traffic fatalities in Boulder County in 2011, four were alcohol related.

Several programs are available as alternatives to risking a DUI ticket. The Colorado Department of Transportation's Plan Ahead Colorado campaign offers links to free cab fare and public transportation offers along the Front Range. Motorists who need a cab may call 1-800-TAXI-CAB, a service that helps locate nearby cab companies. Cab fare is cheaper than a DUI, Ford said.Along with fines, court costs, attorney's fees, insurance premiums, bail, probation costs, and charges associated with licensing, a DUI costs an average of $10,270, according to federal estimates. Some people even risk job loss with a conviction. He said that is over and above the potential of getting hurt or killed or hurting or killing someone else.

Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273 or pshields@times-call.com.

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