The Carson City Sheriff's Office helped screen almost 2,700 vehicles at a Sparks checkpoint targeting those driving under the influence on Super Bowl Sunday.
Of the 2,699 vehicles that passed through the DUI checkpoint, 42 field sobriety tests were administered and five people were arrested for DUI, according to the release.
"We had more problems with husbands and wives than we had alcohol problems," Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said, joking that they must have picked different teams to root for in the Super Bowl.
On a serious note, he said it shows how successful the public campaign against drinking and driving has been.
The local agency joined forces with Washoe County and Storey County sheriff's offices, Nevada Highway Patrol, and the police departments from Reno, Sparks, the University of Nevada, Reno, and Washoe County School District.
The so-called Joining Forces DUI Enforcement Campaign was made possible by a Nevada Department of Public Safety/Office of Traffic Safety grant designed to encourage multi-jurisdictional enforcement tactics. The purpose of the event was to "educate the driving public in regards to DUI laws, to enforce the community's no-tolerance stance toward impaired driving and to remind people that it is never safe to drive impaired," according to a Washoe County sheriff's press release.
Furlong said the event highlights the importance of these joint operations. One he has on his mind for the future is a cooperative operation with Lyon County Sheriff's deputies to better enforce traffic rules on U.S. Highway 50 between Carson City and Lyon County, which he called "one of the deadliest stretches of highway in the state."
