Dennis RomeroThe 4th of July holiday is not a license to ill.
And yet it remains one of the top amateur drinking holidays in America, right up there next to New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo. Catching drunks behind the wheel is too easy for cops. Sheesh — police will even tell you where they'll be:
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department, the LAPD and other area agencies will be cracking down on DUI the whole holiday weekend.
–Tonight, according to a sheriff's statement, cops will be looking for drunk motorists in the following communities:
DUI Patrol- El Segundo
DUI Patrol- Gardena
DUI Patrol- Hawthorne
DUI Patrol- Hermosa Beach
DUI Patrol- Huntington Park
DUI Patrol- Inglewood
DUI Patrol- Long Beach
DUI Patrol- Manhattan Beach
DUI Patrol- Palos Verdes Estates
DUI Patrol- Redondo Beach
DUI Patrol- Santa Monica
DUI Patrol- Signal Hill
DUI Patrol- South Gate
DUI Patrol- Torrance
DUI Patrol- Vernon
DUI Patrol- CHP – West L.A.
-Then, on Friday, they've got checkpoints and patrols, according to the sheriff's department:
DUI Checkpoint – Hawthorne
DUI Checkpoint- Manhattan Beach
DUI Checkpoint- Pomona
DUI Checkpoint- CHP – East L.A.
DUI Checkpoint- CHP – Newhall
DUI Checkpoint- CHP – Altadena
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – Hollywood
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – North Hollywood
DUI Checkpoint- LASD – Lakewood
DUI Patrol- El Segundo
DUI Patrol- Gardena
DUI Patrol- Hawthorne
DUI Patrol- Hermosa Beach
DUI Patrol- Huntington Park
DUI Patrol- Inglewood
DUI Patrol- Long Beach
DUI Patrol- Manhattan Beach
DUI Patrol- Palos Verdes Estates
DUI Patrol- Pomona
DUI Patrol- Redondo Beach
DUI Patrol- San Gabriel
DUI Patrol- Santa Monica
DUI Patrol- Signal Hill
DUI Patrol- South Gate
DUI Patrol- Torrance
DUI Patrol- Vernon
DUI Patrol- LAPD – Newton
DUI Patrol- LAPD – Southwest Area
Here are some specifics on the LAPD's own Friday checkpoints:
-From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. there will be a checkpoint waiting for you at Santa Monica Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in Hollywood, the department says.
-Also from 8 to 2 there will be a checkpoint at Cahuenga Boulevard and Oakshire Drive in the Universal City area, according to the LAPD.
On Saturday, the sheriff's department states, this is what you can expect out there:
DUI Checkpoint- Multi-Agency in the City of Arcadia (Including Arcadia, West Covina, Baldwin Park School Police, Monrovia, El Monte and Sierra Madre)
DUI Checkpoint- CHP – West Valley
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – Southwest area
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – Newton
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – North Hollywood
DUI Checkpoint- LAPD – Northeast Area
DUI Patrol- Alhambra
DUI Patrol- Azusa
DUI Patrol- Bell Gardens
DUI Patrol- Burbank
DUI Patrol- Claremont
DUI Patrol- Covina
DUI Patrol- Downey
DUI Patrol – El Segundo
DUI Patrol- Gardena
DUI Patrol- Glendale
DUI Patrol- Glendora
DUI Patrol- Hawthorne
DUI Patrol- Hermosa Beach
DUI Patrol- Huntington Park
DUI Patrol- Inglewood
DUI Patrol- Long Beach
DUI Patrol- Manhattan Beach
DUI Patrol- Monrovia
DUI Patrol- Montebello
DUI Patrol- Monterey Park
DUI Patrol- Palos Verdes Estates
DUI Patrol- Pasadena
DUI Patrol- Pomona
DUI Patrol- Redondo Beach
DUI Patrol- San Fernando
DUI Patrol- San Gabriel
DUI Patrol- San Marino
DUI Patrol- Santa Monica
DUI Patrol- Signal Hill
DUI Patrol- South Gate
DUI Patrol- Torrance
DUI Patrol- Vernon
DUI Patrol- South Pasadena
DUI Patrol- Whittier
DUI Patrol- CHP – South L.A.
DUI Patrol- CHP – East L.A.
DUI Patrol- CHP – Santa Fe Springs
More details about the LAPD's own party on Saturday follow …
Credit: Lina Lecaro for LA Weekly
From 6 p.m. to midnight here will be a DUI checkpoint at Figueroa Street and Vernon Avenue in South L.A.
From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. there will be a checkpoint at Florence Avenue and Broadway in South L.A.
From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. cops will be at Lankershim Boulevard and Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood.
From 8 to 2 they'll be at Fountain and Bates avenues in Silver Lake.
On Sunday here's what's in store, according to a sheriff's statement:
DUI Patrol- El Segundo
DUI Patrol- Gardena
DUI Patrol- Hawthorne
DUI Patrol- Hermosa Beach
DUI Patrol- Huntington Park
DUI Patrol- Inglewood
DUI Patrol- Long Beach
DUI Patrol- Manhattan Beach
DUI Patrol- Palos Verdes Estates
DUI Patrol- Redondo Beach
DUI Patrol- Santa Monica
DUI Patrol- Signal Hill
DUI Patrol- South Gate
DUI Patrol- Torrance
DUI Patrol- Vernon
DUI Patrol- LAPD Harbor
DUI Patrol- LAPD Devonshire
Oh, and in case you're thinking the freeways are a more lenient way to go, they are not. The California Highway Patrol will be in the midst of a “maximum enforcement period” for the holiday weekend.
What to do? Call a taxi. Or use AAA's free Tipsy Tow service: 1-800-400-4222.
Have fun. Be safe.
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow LA Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.