Valley police departments are cracking down on drunken drivers in Scottsdale during the Waste Management Phoenix Open. However, they don't want to arrest them, they want to stop them before they ever get behind the wheel.
The Scottsdale officers will be working with the Department of Public Safety, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe police departments to kick off their DUI task force which is slated to take place Wednesday through Saturday.
Officials told ABC15 that almost 78,000 people attended Wednesday — beating an old record by several thousand. And as folks were leaving, authorities were making sure everyone had a safe way to get home in case they had too much to drink.
"Blow! Blow! Blow! Blow! And...stop!"
It make look like a widespread DUI dragnet or maybe an undercover sting or even just a typical checkpoint...but it's not any of these.
The goal here: Know your limit. In fact, that's what the operation is called outside the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
For the fourth straight year, law enforcement agencies are teaming up to make sure folks realize just how much that extra drink is impacting them.
"Everyone thinks they're good to drive, but no one really understands where they're at," Mitchell Klein said.
Alyssa Romano told ABC15 she already planned ahead to have her husband pick her up when she was done for the day and says a little extra planning can go a long way.
"If you walk out and you're over the limit, why the heck are you driving?" Romano said.
Over at the Birds Nest, the drinks are flowing and the music is blaring. Scottsdale Fire is already on scene, making sure they can respond to any incidents, and fast.
"It's about a 30-45 second response time,"Capt. Dave Folio explained. "Our walking teams and bike teams can get into the areas of the Birds Nest rather quickly."
Scottsdale Fire expects some 20,000 people to be at the Birds Nest for the concert series each night.
For more information about the golf tournament, click here.
