The Hanford Police Department and local law enforcement agencies across Kings County are preparing for the new year by increasing the number of patrols on the road tonight, to make sure drunken drivers don't bring a premature end to the festivities.

Officers from the Lemoore Police Department, Kings County Sheriff's Department, Corcoran Police Department and Kings County Probation Department are teaming up to increase the number of officers on the street tonight, as part of the statewide effort to eliminate drunken-driving accidents.

These officer "saturation" efforts will begin tonight and last until the early morning hours on Thursday, police department officials said. While officers will be responding to emergencies as normal, they will also be targeting people on the road believed to have used drugs or alcohol prior to jumping behind the wheel.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Jerry Pierce said all available officers will be put on patrol to help keep drunken drivers off the road.

On Saturday, Hanford police conducted a DUI checkpoint on 11th Avenue, just north of Lacey Boulevard. Before the night was through, officers impounded 10 vehicles and issued 12 citations to motorists with suspended driver's licenses. The number of DUI arrests, however, was zero.

"To us, that is pretty good," Lt. George Hernandez said. "The whole point of these checkpoints is to raise awareness in the community and I think that means people are getting the message. It's always a good thing when you have a DUI checkpoint and you don't catch anyone drunk driving."

Saturday's numbers were a welcome change from those listed earlier this month, when additional patrol units were sent out in search of people driving under the influence and arrested 26 people on various charges.

Funding for the statewide "Avoid the six" program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

People are encouraged to contact the police if they see a driver who is drifting in and out of their own traffic lane or otherwise behaving erratically on the road.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Dec. 31, 2008)