The Calistoga Police Department will use funds from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund for DUI checkpoints in town, beginning with one on Saturday, July 27.
The City Council authorized the use of $77,606 in grant funding for its police department earlier this month. The July 27 DUI checkpoint will be the first of many, according to Calistoga Police Lieutenant Andre Charles.
“DUI checkpoints are not only about making arrests; it is also an opportunity for law enforcement to educate the community,” Charles said, adding that in the past seven months, Calistoga police have made approximately 20 DUI arrests, with alcohol-related intoxication being the most common cause.
California is one of the states with the highest number of DUI arrests in the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2023, more than 125,000 DUI-related arrests were made. In Napa County, the Sheriff’s Department has jurisdiction over all unincorporated areas of the county as well as Yountville and American Canyon, which contract with the department for law enforcement services. Sheriff’s deputies have made 55 DUI arrests this year; 39 of those in American Canyon. According to Sheriff’s spokesperson Henry Wofford, in Napa County (not counting American Canyon), the Sheriff's Department has made, on average, 19 DUI arrests every year from 2019 to 2024. The numbers don’t reflect arrests made by California Highway Patrol.
Drivers facing first-time DUI arrests are likely to pay an average of more than $10,000, according to Napa Police.
The $25 million state grant program is funded by a tax on the sale of cannabis and related products in California, according to a July 1 California Highway Patrol press release. The grant is designed to provide financial assistance to small and midsize police agencies to carry out enforcement and community education programs. More than 80 agencies, including Calistoga, are part of the program.
The grant provides funding to local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations and governments to support educational outreach initiatives that raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and prescribed medications. It is also meant to enhance the number of DUI enforcement stops in communities through the purchase of additional traffic cones and road signs.
Calistoga, which has two state highways running through it, “has contributed to traffic complaints that include the reporting of drunk driving, reckless driving and speeding,” according to the Calistoga Police Department.
A document supporting the grant application added, “CPD does not have the financial resources or equipment to adequately address these complaints.”
CPD is required to use the $77,606 to operate eight DUI checkpoints, conduct six impaired driving educational presentations at the local high school, and fund officer overtime for all grant-funded activities, among other obligations. The funding is for the fiscal year 2024-25, which began July 1.
The first ever DUI checkpoint was planned early this year by CPD but it was canceled due to poor weather conditions, according to Charles.
