POALAC Traffic Committee and the

AVOID Anti-DUI Program

In support of the POALAC MISSION, it is the MISSION of the members of the Traffic Committee to develop, maintain and expand the Committee Membership to further develop camaraderie and teamwork among all law enforcement agencies and traffic safety organizations throughout Los Angeles County.  A component of the traffic committee is the Avoid the 40 Program.

The AVOID Anti-DUI Program was launched in 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together in countywide clusters to crack down on the drinking driver and reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by alcohol related crashes.  Funding, provided by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, allows counties to add overtime hours, reassign officers, and conduct public awareness campaigns during the increased enforcement periods. The overall goal of the awareness campaign is to educate drivers regarding the countywide increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to “AVOID” the county’s law enforcement officers is to drive sober.  Increased enforcement periods are planned during high traffic holiday periods such as the Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day weekends, and the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period. 

Los Angeles County is encompassed by two Avoid coalitions and funded by two grants totaling $1.65 million.  The Avoid the 40 Los Angeles County DUI Task Force is coordinated by the Glendora Police Department, and the Avoid the 12 South Bay Regional DUI Task Force is coordinated by the Gardena Police Department. 

The Avoid programs have been very successful in removing DUI drivers from the streets of our communities because of the collaborate efforts of the participating agencies.  The traffic committee is open to all law enforcement and traffic safety organizations in Los Angeles County.  The committee meets the second Wednesday of every month.  Please contact Captain Bill Dance (bdance@chp.ca.gov) or Wendy Soos (wsoos@glendorapd.org) for more information regarding the Traffic Committee.

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