Looking to drive drunk in El Paso County over the Thanksgiving holiday? Think again.
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) held a press conference on its traffic enforcement during the Thanksgiving travel period.
The sheriff's office says it will be conducting its "Black Out Wednesday Traffic Surge Operation," looking to crack down on impaired driving. Additionally, they hope their presence on the road will deter people from driving impaired to begin with. The office is also urging residents and visitors to plan a safe ride home before they start drinking.
"If people see more officers, more deputies, more troopers on the road, they'll maybe make some better decisions, like I've seen the troopers everywhere, I've seen CSPD, everywhere I've seen in El Paso County [deputies] everywhere. I should make a better decision and call for a ride share, call for a friend, or call for a taxi," explained EPSO Sgt. Jason Haag.
According to the sheriff's office, Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) is statistically the biggest drinking day of the year.
Enforcement will be a collaboration between multiple agencies. On Wednesday, representatives from Pueblo Police Department (PPD), CSP, Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), Monument Police Department (MPD), Calhan Police Department (CPD), Fort Carson Police, EPSO and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) stood together as a united front. The Fountain Police Department (FPD) was not present, but EPSO says they are engaged in the surge enforcement operation.
"To have our whole county, literally from Calhan all the way to the west side of the county, is so important to say, man, everywhere I go with this county, there's going to be law enforcement looking for me, whether that's speeding, whether that's impaired driving. We think it's so important to put that message out that we are unified in this effort," shared Sgt. Haag.
According to the CDOT, there were 353 reported DUI arrests in Colorado during Thanksgiving week 2024. In 2025, the sheriff's office says seatbelt use has increased and that traffic fatalities have decreased. Despite the positive trend, the office plans to continue to make the streets safer by increasing enforcement. Sgt. Haag explained that, despite the statistics, one traffic fatality is too many.
"One thing I like to stress to folks is, you know, we talk about the data, right. This many lives lost for this. It's a stat to everybody. To me, it's not a stat right. It's a husband. It's a wife. It's a brother, it's a sister, it's a daughter, whatever that looks like to people, their lives. And that's what we do, is we go out there and save those lives," said Sgt. Haag.
The sheriff's office says additional deputies will be out patrolling day and night for excessive speed, reckless driving and impaired drivers. The crackdown starts on Wednesday, November 26, and runs through Sunday, November 30. Deputies say there will likely be additional surge enforcement throughout the holiday season.
EPSO says the extra patrols are made possible due to a federal grant distributed by CDOT.
Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.
