Both the cities of Brentwood and Oakley each experienced a fairly quiet and safe New Year’s holiday weekend, especially the city of Oakley that saw just one DUI arrest over 102 traffic stops throughout the weekend.
Oakley’s lone DUI arrest came on the 900 block of Main Street shortly after midnight on Dec. 30. That arrest matches the same lone DUI arrest that the city had last year on New Year’s Eve 2022 on Laurel Road and Main Street, police said.
Beard said the reason for such low numbers comes down to several factors.
“Over the past year, we have taken a fairly proactive approach enforcing the law in general, but especially so on the weekends when we do expect to find more DUI issues,” he said. “This kind of presence tends to suppress crime in general, to include discouraging DUI driving and behaviors.”
Beard added several other factors like rideshare programs, the Highway 4 bypass and the lack of “dedicated bars” also played a big role in limiting the amount of drunk drivers, let alone overall drivers, in the city on New Year’s weekend.
“I am not blind to the fact that people do party over the New Year’s Eve weekend,” Beard said. “But in Oakley, most of that partying is home based because of the lack of a night life (dedicated bars).
“A few years back, we had dedicated bars and today we really have none to speak of. …I tend to believe at home-based parties people tend to look out for one another a little more diligently and the designated driver, rideshare services, and “buddy” rides are utilized more than if an individual were to be at a dedicated bar alone.”
Beard adds the element of luck and having support from law enforcement in neighboring towns.
“I think some of the law-enforcement agencies surrounding Oakley are just as diligent in DUI enforcement/education as we are,” he said. “We are all just one very unlucky and sad incident away from something that could lead to a tragedy. In years past, the Oakley Police Department has had to deal with these very sad incidents. That is what drives us to remain diligent and I am sure that is the same frame of mind for my surrounding partner agencies.”
Police had a DUI checkpoint on Balfour Road on Friday night in their effort to prevent drunk driving. According to Sgt. Mike Maanao, the checkpoint saw 693 cars come through with no major incidents. However, they had to end the checkpoint before their originally scheduled midnight closing due to rain and the safety risk to both the public and the officers.
While the checkpoint went smoothly, Brentwood police arrested two drivers on suspicion of DUI over the New Year’s holiday weekend and two more for being intoxicated in public.
