Clovis steps up DUI checkpoints as summer crowds grow

Clovis police ran their third DUI checkpoint of June Thursday night, betting that a visible stop-and-check operation can do more than catch impaired drivers. Officers also watched for fights and other disturbances that tend to rise when summer nightlife, holiday celebrations and sporting events draw bigger crowds.

City notices said checkpoint locations are chosen using data showing incidents of impaired-driving-related crashes, and the June operation was funded through a California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Grant Program grant. The city said marijuana impairment remains illegal even though medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal in California, and it warned that a first-time DUI conviction averages about $13,500 in fines and penalties, plus a suspended license. In a June 4 notice, Sgt. Abby Padgett said, “Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk.”

The strategy produced results in one recent Clovis operation before it was cut short by a major-injury hit-and-run crash. Police said three people were arrested on DUI allegations and six other drivers were cited for license violations before the checkpoint ended early. In that case, police said 45-year-old Francis Portillo was accused of hitting a pedestrian at Jefferson Avenue and Brookhaven Drive around 10 p.m., leaving the scene after being told to stay while officers helped the victim, and then leading police on a short pursuit. Portillo was later booked on felony DUI, hit-and-run, evading officers and drug-possession charges.

Clovis businesses are also bracing for the same summer surge. Thomas Miller, owner of Press Box Sports Bar and Grill, said staff are trained in responsible beverage service so they can recognize signs of impairment and respond appropriately as crowds grow. The checkpoint approach gives police a fixed, highly visible presence, unlike roving saturation patrols, and city leaders are leaning on that visibility as a deterrent as much as an enforcement tool.

The crackdown comes as agencies across Fresno County keep tallying the cost of impaired driving. Fresno police reported 13 DUI arrests and 42 citations for unlicensed drivers at a separate nearby checkpoint, underscoring how much attention local departments are putting on summer crash risk. The California Highway Patrol says its cannabis tax grant program funds education, prevention and enforcement tied to alcohol, drugs and cannabis. In Clovis, that means more checkpoint activity now, and a clearer warning that impaired driving can still turn a night out into an arrest, a crash or worse.