Maricopa PD joins East Valley DUI Task Force

This year marks the 22nd year of operation of the East Valley Holiday DUI Task Force, and the first with its newest member: Maricopa Police Department. The task force is a State-funded collaborative effort of more than a dozen law enforcement agencies throughout the Valley led by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Maricopa Police Sergeant Willie Payne will lead a team of six MPD officers in the effort beginning Dec. 7 through New Year’s Day.

Each night of the task force, a command post will be set up in a different East Valley city such as Mesa, Tempe, Chandler or Gilbert. Command and control vehicles as well as mobile testing and booking facilities will be located at the command posts. Officers who apprehend suspected impaired drivers will bring them to the command post for processing.

The East Valley Holiday DUI Task Force will not operate in Maricopa, but Sgt. Payne’s MPD unit will set up DUI enforcement in Maricopa when it is not assisting the East Valley agencies.

“This is a great opportunity for the Maricopa Police Department to get exposure and recognition within the Arizona law enforcement community,” MPD Officer Steve Judd said in a statement, “as well as helping to make streets safer for Arizona motorists.”

In 2006, 125 officers participating in the East Valley Holiday DUI Task Force made 2,220 DUI arrests during the holiday season.