From Tony Bizjak and Loretta Kalb:
Nabbing suspected drunk drivers on a Friday night in Sacramento apparently is like shooting fish in a barrel.
The California Highway Patrol proved that again this past weekend when a concentrated strike-force patrol caught 60 people who were believed to be under the influence during an eight-hour effort spread over major freeways and surface streets in central and south Sacramento.
CHP officials flooded freeways and unincorporated areas south of the American River with 25 patrol units focused on impaired driving as part of a periodic effort called R.A.I.D. -- Rapid Apprehension of Impaired Drivers.
Sixty arrests in one night in Sacramento is not unusual, CHP spokesman Mike Bradley said.
"The south Sacramento area is a high-concentration area for alcohol and drug-related driving offenses," Bradley said. "We average in the 50s" during strike-force operations. "That is why Sacramento is one of the crash leaders in the state."
Bradley said arrests peaked about 11 p.m., when after-work drinkers are heading home, and 2 a.m., when the bars close.
Arrests were spread out on highways 99, 50, Interstate 5 and Business 80, as well as major surface streets in unincorporated areas, such as Florin Road, Stockton Boulevard and Franklin Boulevard.
CHP officials said their strike force was financed by anti-drunken driving grants from the state Office of Traffic Safety. That office keeps statistics that show Sacramento city and county have high incidents of alcohol-related injury crashes.
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