By Brian Sherrod

March 14, 2025 / 1:22 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

DUI enforcement has begun across the state of Colorado ahead of the holiday weekend.

Dozens of police departments are coming together to arrest anyone who is pulled over for drinking and driving. This is for St. Patrick’s Day weekend; known as one of the busiest holidays of the year for DUI-caused crashes.

Denver Police shared their enforcement plans with CBS Colorado. The department said they have increased their enforcement, especially across downtown Denver. The areas they have spotted to be “problem areas” include Speer, Broadway and Park Avenue. These are areas most drivers take when returning home after drinking at bars and clubs.

Denver Police says they are looking for all DUI related actions from now until March 19th. These include anyone driving with their lights off, failure to stay in their lanes, speeding, driving too slowly and aggressive driving.

If someone is pulled over for any of these actions, they will have to do a chemical test. This tests a person’s blood alcohol concentration level through their breath or blood. If someone is above the legal limit of .08 or shows even the slightest degree of impairment, they will be arrested.

Officers say in many situations, the person with the least to drink is still the one who is pulled over. 

“The best thing to do when you are a designated driver is to not have any alcohol at all,” Corporal Aaron Botts, DUI/DRE Enforcement Unit for Denver Police. “Many times, the person I arrest says they are the designated driver when in reality, they are the person that had the least amount to drink, and they are still unsafe to drive.”

Those arrested will have to pay at least $13,000 in court fees and fines, have their vehicle impounded and license suspended for at least nine months. Drunk drivers also risk having an interlock device in their car. This machine only allows a driver to turn the car on when there is no alcohol detected.

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