Date of Award

Fall 2004

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the issue of DUI has come to the forefront of society's concerns. As a result, researchers have also focused on the issue of DUL Even though there is a substantial amount of research on DUI, very little research has focused on the most efficient means of detecting and apprehending DUI drivers.

This paper will compare two different enforcement methods of detecting and apprehending DUI drivers. The two enforcement methods that will be evaluated are: a type of proactive patrol called saturation patrol, and sobriety checkpoints. The City of Petaluma, California, was observed over a three-month period to determine which of these methods require the least amount of officer hours per DUI arrest. The total DUI arrests made by each type of enforcement technique, and total officer hours involved in each technique, were analyzed to determine the most efficient means of detecting DUI drivers.

As a result, it was determined that sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrol are both equally effective when measured in terms of officer hours per arrest. Additionally, sobriety checkpoints were just as efficient, if not more efficient, than saturation patrol when measuring secondary duties such as non-DUI arrests, citations issue, and vehicles towed or impounded. Ultimately, this research paper provides an empirical method from which analysis and evaluation of DUI patrol techniques can be conducted, challenging some of the current assumptions about these techniques.

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