According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), endorsed by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, will ensure that individuals arrested in Riverside County on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, or a combination of drugs and alcohol, will continue to face highly specialized prosecutors. The $679,708 grant allocated to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office marks an increase of over $20,000 from the previous year and will fund a vertical prosecution team of three deputy district attorneys in Riverside County.
The vertical prosecution team is dedicated to handling driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases from arrest to prosecution and sentencing. The team has been highly effective in increasing the conviction rate of DUI and DUID drivers since the OTS expanded its grants to include DUID county-wide in 2014.
While alcohol remains the leading factor in DUI-related crashes, the DA’s Office collaborates with the OTS to raise awareness that DUI also includes driving under the influence of prescription medications and/or marijuana. Riverside County has experienced the second-highest number of drug-involved road user fatalities and serious injuries in California, according to the Berkeley SafeTREC 2021 report.
As part of the grant, the prosecution team members will engage with the state’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Network to enhance knowledge and resources in the office. This includes specialized training to address the emerging issue of drug-impaired driving. The team will also share valuable information with colleagues and law enforcement personnel both locally and statewide.
According to the OTS California Annual Report for 2022, the proportion of drivers who tested positive for legal and/or illegal drugs among those killed in motor vehicle accidents increased by 7.8 percent in 2020. Based on the 2020 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from NHTSA, 55 percent of drivers involved in fatal accidents and underwent testing were found to have traces of potentially impairing drugs in their system.
With the continuation of the specialized prosecution team, individuals arrested in Riverside County on suspicion of drug-related DUI offenses can expect to face highly skilled prosecutors dedicated to securing convictions and ensuring public safety on the roads.
