Memorial Day Weekend Means Extra Cops on Duty

The three-day weekend is here, signaling the traditional start of the summer season.

People are loading up their cars, vans, SUVs and boats and heading out to their favorite Napa County spots to camp, soak up some sun, picnic and do all the fun outdoor activities that have been on the back burner for about six months.

Napa's law enforcement agencies are also geared up for the holiday weekend, with a DUI checkpoint and extra patrols from country roads to downtown streets.

The has extra patrols through 6 p.m. Monday, according to CHP Sgt. Scott Lunardi.

“We will be on the watch for speeders and drunk driving,” on Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, Lunardi said.

will focus mainly on the Lake Berryessa area, which is a popular hangout for the summer’s long holiday weekends and the Fourth of July, according to sheriff’s Capt. Tracey Stuart.

“We will be patrolling the roads and campsites checking for fights and excessive drinking,” Stuart said. “We are hoping the resort managers will enforce their campground rules and get rid of unruly people.”

The sheriff's boat patrol deputies will be out in full force looking for those driving boats who are under the influence of alcohol, Stuart said.

The boat patrols will also be watching for speeders and checking to make sure boats have a life vest for every person on board, she said.

Sgt. Don Honey said the police department has no special operations for the long weekend.

“Memorial Day weekend isn’t really a big one for us. Most people are out of town,” he said.

Although Honey would not pinpoint the exact location, he said there would be one DUI checkpoint “somewhere in Napa County on Sunday.”

Law enforcement officers will stop all vehicles who drive through the checkpoint.

“We will be looking for DUI drivers, as well as other traffic infractions such as expired registration, license plate tags and seatbelt violations,” Honey said.