The East Valley DUI Task Force made 143 arrests New Year’s Eve, bringing its final 17-day total to a record 2,135 arrests, according to numbers released Thursday by Gilbert police Sgt. Kenny Buckland, task force spokesman.
Of the 143 arrests Wednesday night, 46 were extreme DUIs, which means the blood alcohol level was more than 0.15. Arizona’s legal limit is 0.08. Another 10 arrests were aggravated DUIs and the average blood alcohol content was .153.
During the 17-night patrol, the task force made 313 more arrests than last year. Of the 2,135 arrests, 594 we re extreme DUIs, 135 were aggravated DUIs and the average blood alcohol content was .139.
The higher numbers are being attributed to better training and additional officers patrolling the roads. The task force has included up to 116 police officers from 12 agencies working Wednesdays through Saturdays.
