Over the past year, the Eureka Police Department (EPD) has conducted two campaigns focused on traffic safety, community engagement, and improving the overall safety of our community. The first, Operation Gateway 101, focused enforcement and outreach efforts along the U.S. Highway 101 corridor to address crime and blight. More recently, Together, We Drive Change in Eureka provided the community with local collision data and invited residents to share their traffic safety concerns through a community survey that generated more than 460 responses. Survey findings will be shared with the community next month.
Beginning October 30, 2026, EPD will launch its final traffic safety campaign of the year, Sober Streets Eureka. This public education and enforcement campaign will focus on preventing driving under the influence (DUI) and reducing the serious risks impaired driving poses to our community. In addition to ongoing traffic enforcement by EPD patrol officers, the department will utilize funding from the Office of Traffic Safety and the California Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) to support targeted DUI enforcement operations throughout the holiday season and into the new year. The campaign will run through January 2, 2027.
DUI arrests remain a significant concern for our community. From January 1 through September 30, 2026, EPD officers arrested 147 individuals for DUI. Of those arrests, 39 involved individuals who were involved in a DUI-related collision.
During the comparable holiday campaign period of October 30, 2025, through January 2, 2026, EPD officers arrested 45 individuals for DUI, including eight individuals involved in DUI-related collisions.
Driving under the influence is preventable, yet impaired driving continues to put lives at risk. The consequences can be devastating for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and other members of our community.
As recent tragedies and incidents over the past month have demonstrated, one decision to drive while impaired can have lifelong consequences for individuals, families, and the community as a whole.
Personal responsibility matters. EPD encourages everyone to plan ahead, designate a sober driver, arrange another safe way home, or stay at home.
