DUI crackdown in San Benito, Monterey counties planned for July 4th weekend

Law enforcement in Monterey and San Benito counties will be cracking down on driving under the influence this July 4th weekend.

From Thursday, July 3 through midnight on Sunday, July 6, all available California Highway Patrol officers from the Gilroy-Hollister, King City and Monterey squads will be sent out on the roads.

Salinas police plan to hold a sobriety checkpoint on Thursday, July 3, and other departments will send out DUI saturation patrols in both counties.

The extra enforcement is part of Avoid the 20 DUI Task Force’s response to the long weekend, said traffic Sgt. Gerard Ross of the Salinas police.

The California Office of Traffic Safety funds the operation through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.