County Police Plan 'Saturation Patrols' over Holiday

Better think twice about getting behind the wheel if alcohol plays a role in your holiday plans.

Baltimore County police will be conducting “saturation patrols” this Thanksgiving weekend to clamp down on drunk driving.

Although Maryland has had an 18 percent decline in alcohol-related fatalities since 2001, drunk driving kills an average of 23 people in Baltimore County every year.

In 2010, there were nine alcohol-related crashes in Baltimore County on Thanksgiving Day, according to police.

For the 10th year, Baltimore County police is participating in the zero-tolerance “Checkpoint Strikeforce” campaign, designed to catch and arrest drunk drivers through sobriety checkpoints and other enhanced law enforcement efforts.