Petaluma officers out in full force for ‘Blackout Wednesday'

PETALUMA, Calif. (KTVU) - For some, the day before Thanksgiving is a time to meet up with old friends and toast the holidays, but the tradition has police on high-alert for drunk drivers. Unofficially, the tradition has come to be known as “blackout Wednesday”.

KTVU’s Ken Wayne was in Petaluma the night before the holiday where crowds were expected to celebrate what is becoming kind of a big deal. It was a little early in the evening, but the popular downtown bar scene, where you can bar hop without having to drive, was expected to pick up as the night progressed.

“It’s pretty much the best time to see everyone you haven’t seen in about a year or six months. It’s good to get your friend time before your family time in; have a few drinks,” explained Cat Berner, a college student. 

Petaluma police are putting extra officers out in the streets, mostly downtown, to make sure everyone gets home safe.

“We get everything from fighting to vandalism to public intoxicated subjects. Sometimes we’ll have people call in subjects that are people trying to get in vehicles and drive away intoxicated,” said Sgt. Ron Klein.

Bar owners are even providing extra security to keep patrons organized.  Joe Pelleriti, owner of Macguire’s Irish Pub, said he’s upfront with customers when it comes time to cutting them off from drinks. “We just tell them it’s against the law to serve them,” he said.

Beyond Petaluma, California Highway Patrol (CHP) is putting all available officers on its maximum enforcement period, starting Wednesday night and lasting through Sunday.

Officer Daniel Hill with CHP said they will be looking for speeding, aggressive and impaired drivers who aren’t looking out for the safety of others on the road. Statewide, CHP said 45 people lost their lives during the holiday weekend last year and that the trend is up almost 75 percent from 2013.

With so many apps, taxis and mass transit available, officers say it’s foolish to risk a DUI with fines ranging from $5,000 and $15,000. Many people we talked to said they had already made arrangements for getting home safely after drinking. The consequences for DUI are bad enough, but if you injure or kill someone, the punishment is much worse.