Many citations, but no DUI arrests Many citations, but no DUI arrests (November 23, 2005)

If numbers matter, police had a banner night at a drunken-driving checkpoint held Friday evening, November 18, in the 1100 block of Marsh Road in Menlo Park.

Some 32 citations were issued, but not one involved drunken driving. Thirty were for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license, and 26 of those were issued to drivers with Hispanic surnames, according to a log of the event from the Menlo Park Police Department.

Officers from around San Mateo County, including Daly City and the Sheriff's Office, ran the checkpoint -- one of 24 to be held in the county between last April and December 2006. They are paid for from a $910,000 state grant, said Lt. Eric Wollman of the Daly City Police Department.

Menlo Park "hosted" the checkpoint, said Menlo Park police Sgt. Mike Amaral. "I was a bit surprised when I saw that there weren't any arrests for DUI," he said, using the acronym for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

All but three of the vehicles were towed, and all by Ellison's Towing of Mountain View.

To retrieve a vehicle isn't cheap. The police ticket is $100, and Ellison's charges $150 to tow the vehicle and $45 per day of storage, the firm's office manager said.

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