DUI Checkpoint in South Beach Tonight at 8

If you're heading to or from South Beach tonight you really might want to think about taking a cab or Uber. The Miami Beach police department is setting up a DUI checkpoint that starts at 8 p.m. tonight and will continue until 6 a.m. the next morning. The checkpoint will...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

April 1, 2016

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If you're heading to or from South Beach tonight, you might want take a cab or Uber. The Miami Beach Police Department will set up a DUI checkpoint at 8 p.m. that lasts till 6 a.m. Saturday.

The checkpoint will be located around the 1000 block of Fifth Street. Saturation patrols will also comb other areas of South Beach.

"Miami Beach Police Department Traffic Enforcement Units will also be conducting saturation patrols with highly trained and experienced DUI/DRE (drug recognition expert) officers to detect and apprehend drug-impaired drivers," a statement from the force reads.

This is a very serious subject, so of course the department is tweeting out reminders about the checkpoint with GIFs of cute dogs.

DUI checkpoint this Friday (4/1) along 5th Street in Miami Beach starting at 8P. #DriveSober or get pulled over! pic.twitter.com/OyTPjYnEYX
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 30, 2016

Happy Friday! We promise if you get pulled over today it's not an #AprilFools prank! pic.twitter.com/oqy1HAfODE
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) April 1, 2016

Miami Beach PD has been criticized in recent years as the number of DUI arrests has plummeted. In December, the force secured a $100,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to help step up MBPD's DUI enforcement. The grant is being used to fund DUI checkpoints such as tonight's.

Of Florida cities with a population of more than 75,000, Miami Beach ranks sixth for crashes related to driver impairment despite its relatively low population and small area.

The force hopes to up its DUI arrests by 7 percent over the next few years.

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