Saturday, May 17, 2025
66.8 F
Roseville

Placer County Number 1 in DUI Conviction Rate in California

Conviction rate tops 99 percent

Placer County, Calif. – If you’ve been drinking, you don’t want to get behind the wheel in Placer County.

A recent report from the California Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that the Placer County District Attorney’s Office has the highest conviction rate of drunken or impaired drivers in the state. (2008)

Placer’s DUI conviction rate is 99.2 percent. The state average is 79.4 percent.

Only two other counties in California had conviction rates of 90 percent or higher. These included Shasta at 96.9 percent and Santa Barbara at 92 percent.

The statistics are based on DUI arrests made in 2006 and their subsequent prosecutions through the end of the 2007 year.

Placer County”s rating marked the fourth consecutive year in which the county had a DUI conviction record of 90 percent or higher.

Capt. Rick Ward, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s Auburn office, said the No. 1 rating by Placer County came as no surprise to him.

‘I’ve worked up and down the state and I can say that the Placer County District Attorney’s Office is one of the hardest-working agencies toward achieving justice that I”ve seen,’ Ward said.

This county lets people know that if you come here and are violating DUI laws, you will be held accountable.’

Steve Dragland, supervising deputy district attorney for Placer County, credited the nearly perfect score to an aggressive approach by his prosecutors and by the local law enforcement agencies that made the DUI arrests.

‘Our office takes DUI very seriously,’ Dragland said. ‘It is our duty to protect the public from impaired drivers.’

Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department, said Roseville officers know that when they arrest a drunken driving suspect, ‘he is going to be aggressively prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office.’

Placer County prosecutors hope the high conviction rate will deter other drivers who’ve been drinking by causing them to take a taxi or to hand off their car keys to a sober friend to drive them home.

‘Fewer drunken drivers means fewer traffic accidents,’ Clark Gehlbach, a Placer deputy district attorney, said. ‘And fewer accidents means fewer deaths.’

Law enforcement agencies in Placer County have consistently conducted programs aimed at arresting drunken drivers.

Roseville and Rocklin, for example, tackle drunken driving by conducting sobriety checkpoints on certain Friday nights or by saturating busy intersections with police officers.

The CHP conducts ‘zero tolerance’ efforts by putting all available officers on highways or county roads on certain days to look for speeding or inebriated motorists.

All of the law enforcement agencies in Placer County participate in a program known as ‘Avoid the Seven,’ in which officers combine on holiday weekends to find and arrest drunken drivers.

The DMV report shows that Placer County convicted 2,257 motorists on misdemeanor DUI charges and 76 others on felony DUI charges. Another 182 drivers who were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving were eventually convicted of reckless driving.

2019 Update

Placer County recorded 948 DUI convictions for 2019, according the California DMV. The county had a median adjudication of 106 days, slightly better than the state average. Kern County has the lowest at 59 days, while in Contra Costa County, the median adjudication was almost a year at 363 days.



Support local sports!

Sphere Las Vegas

Trending

Sisters Thai Kitchen in Roseville

Sisters Thai Kitchen, No-frills Pan-Asian diner near UNT campus serving stir fries & noodles with diner's choice of meat.

Bass Pro Shops in Rocklin

Visit Bass Pro Shops in Rocklin, CA for expert advice and top gear in fishing, hunting, boating & shooting. Plan your outdoor adventure today.

Big 5 Sporting Goods in Roseville

Find BIG brands for low prices in sporting gear, fitness equipment, active apparel, and sport-specific shoes and cleats. Buy online or in-store!

BevMo! in Roseville on Douglas Blvd

Shop BevMo.com for wine, spirits, beer & more. Order online and have it delivered or pick up in 30 minutes.

Denio Family Park in Roseville: A welcome addition to local outdoor recreation

Roseville, Calif. - Simple, yet powerful words of encouragement attributed to the Denio Family are etched in the flipside of the new sign denoting Roseville's newest outdoor showcase, Denio Family Park.

Topics

Sisters Thai Kitchen in Roseville

Sisters Thai Kitchen, No-frills Pan-Asian diner near UNT campus serving stir fries & noodles with diner's choice of meat.

Bass Pro Shops in Rocklin

Visit Bass Pro Shops in Rocklin, CA for expert advice and top gear in fishing, hunting, boating & shooting. Plan your outdoor adventure today.

Big 5 Sporting Goods in Roseville

Find BIG brands for low prices in sporting gear, fitness equipment, active apparel, and sport-specific shoes and cleats. Buy online or in-store!

BevMo! in Roseville on Douglas Blvd

Shop BevMo.com for wine, spirits, beer & more. Order online and have it delivered or pick up in 30 minutes.

Denio Family Park in Roseville: A welcome addition to local outdoor recreation

Roseville, Calif. - Simple, yet powerful words of encouragement attributed to the Denio Family are etched in the flipside of the new sign denoting Roseville's newest outdoor showcase, Denio Family Park.

Rudy’s Gourmet Mexican Cuisine in Rocklin

At Rudy’s we take real pride in serving our guests authentic Mexican cuisine. We are proud to offer you our tradition of fresh, high quality meals with excellent service.

Wags To Riches Pet Grooming in Rocklin

Established in 1991 Wags to Riches Pet Grooming has been serving the Rocklin, CA and surrounding cities for over 30+ years. We provide grooming, bath, teeth cleaning, anal grand extractions and nail services for cats and dogs.

Twelve Bridges Dental Group in Roseville

Dr. Raj & Insiya Zanzi provide excellent dental care for you & your family in Roseville and Lincoln at their state of the art dental practice.

Related Articles

Local Spotlight

California Recovery Center in Roseville offers treatment for substance abuse and mental health

California Recovery Center (CRC) is a treatment provider for adults with substance abuse and mental health condition, located in Roseville and serving the greater Sacramento region.

Making a Splash in Roseville at Steve Wallen Swim School

Roseville, Calif. - Steve Wallen Swim School in Roseville teaches swim lessons and water safety for infants, kids, and adults of all skill levels.

Roseville Sheet Metal serving community’s heating and air needs for over 70 years

Roseville, Calif. - At Roseville Sheet Metal, we’re proud of our years of service to the Roseville area and look forward to helping you with your air conditioning and heating needs.