The East Valley Holiday DUI Task Force starts Friday, Nov. 25, and runs through New Year’s Eve.

The Chandler Police Department’s traffic section is among the law enforcement agencies from throughout the East Valley participating in the safety effort.

“Each night of the task force, law enforcement agencies from the entire East Valley partner and patrol a designated geographical area to remove impaired drivers from the roadway,” department officials said in a release.

The project is funded by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.   

 Each night, a command post is established by the host jurisdiction.

For example, the Chandler Police Department will be the host for the East Valley DUI Task Force on Friday nights, Dec.9-16. 

“Officers who take part in the DUI task force have received specialized training in identifying driver impairment brought on by excessive alcohol consumption and illegal or prescribed drug usage,” Chandler police said. 

 While DUI enforcement is traditionally associated with alcohol-impaired drivers, according to the Chandler department, many of today’s impaired drivers operate vehicles under the influence of prescription or illicit drugs.