CARLSBAD, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP), Oceanside Area, will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI) safety checkpoint on Friday, September 19, 2025, at an undisclosed location within the City of Carlsbad. Officers from the Carlsbad Police Department will also participate in the checkpoint.
“All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on our local roadways by intoxicated drivers. The mission of the CHP is to protect life and property for every person who lives, works, and travels in California. Removing impaired driver’s saves lives, and that’s our number one goal,” said Captain Bradley Palmer. A sobriety checkpoint is a proven effective tool and is designed to augment existing patrol operations. Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Captain Palmer emphasized,
“Our objective is to send a clear message to individuals who consider driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs; you will be caught, and your vehicle will be towed.”
The date and location of this checkpoint were chosen to coincide with two separate incidents that tragically took the lives of CHP Officers assigned to the Oceanside Area office: On October 28, 2000, Officer Sean Nava was struck and killed by an impaired driver as he investigated a traffic collision on Interstate 5, in Carlsbad. On August 12, 2001, Officer Stephen Linen was struck and killed by an impaired driver as he conducted an enforcement stop on Interstate 5, in Encinitas. Captain Palmer added, “the threat posed by impaired drivers is very real and quite serious, as evidenced by the ultimate sacrifice paid by these two heroes.”
Note: The media is welcomed to attend this checkpoint operation and may contact the CHP Oceanside Area at (760) 643-3400, on September 19, 2025, no earlier than 5:00 p.m., for the exact location. Funding for this checkpoint operation is provided from a grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
