Police officers from across the county will staff a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday, May 26, in Ventura to mark Avoid the 14’s Memorial Day weekend crackdown.

The officers, from police departments including Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, will begin the enforcement event at 7 p.m. and end it at 3 a.m. Sunday.

“Funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and our tradition of multi-jurisdictional enforcement allow us to run this checkpoint,” said Sgt. Randy Latimer of the Oxnard police, Avoid the 14 coordinator.

DUI saturation patrols in Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks are also on the enforcement schedule.

All available California Highway Patrol offices will be assigned to road patrol all weekend, said Lt. April Baxter, who commands the Moorpark squad. All CHP offices in the state will follow the same orders.

Ventura County is on a downward DUI trend from 2009 to 2010, the last year for which complete statistics are available, according to Latimer. “We’re down 12 percent in arrests, and off by 31 percent in injuries and 30 percent in deaths. This is a hopeful sign that people are getting the message about driving sober.”

“Appoint your designated driver a few days before your weekend party. They save lives every day of the year,” the sergeant said. “Also, if you see a car being driven erratically, give us a 911 call on your cell phone with the car’s description, direction of traveling and license plate. We’ll be right out after that dangerous driver.”

Police cadets and Explorer Scouts will be assisting officers at the checkpoint. Avoid the 14 will hit the roads again around Independence Day, and plans a three-week effort from the middle of August to early September.