Pierce County DUI patrol to target holiday

Published 1:27 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

Pierce County law enforcement officers will be participating in a DUI and traffic safety emphasis patrol throughout the area on Wednesday, as people celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Literally meaning "the 5th of May" in Spanish, it celebrates a battle that was won on that day in Mexico against the French. In the past several years Cinco de Mayo has become a drinking holiday, much like Saint Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras.

Law enforcement officers from Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Eatonville, Edgewood, Fife, Fircrest, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Milton, Orting, Roy, Ruston, Puyallup, Puyallup Tribal, Steilacoom, Sumner, Tacoma, University Place and Wilkeson police departments are participating.

They will be joined by deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, troopers from the Washington State Patrol, and officers from the state Liquor Control Board. Fort Lewis Military Police and McChord Air Force Base Security Forces will be holding simultaneous patrols on their respective bases.

The monthly patrols are coordinated by the Tacoma/Pierce County DUI Task Force and supported by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.