Keeping the roads safe: Fresno police out in full force as Valley rings in the New Year

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- New Year's Eve is not all fun and games for traffic officer Christopher Reddy.

He's been with the Fresno Police Department for more than five years and on New Year's Eve, like every night, he's working to keep us all safe on the roads.

"It's New Year's Eve, it's the holidays, we want people to enjoy and have fun, but we want them to do it responsibly," said Reddy.

Fresno PD is on max enforcement for the holiday, essentially doubling the amount of traffic officers looking for impaired drivers on the road --- focusing on trouble spots in the city.

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"Everywhere in the city we have certain areas we like to focus on because the numbers show that these are where we're having our high numbers of DUI collisions and arrests based on proactive enforcement," Reddy said.

During our ride-along with Reddy, we saw two people pulled over for driving without headlights

And one man arrested in Southeast Fresno after he was found passed out in his car by the train tracks.

He was arrested for driving under the influence, unlike some other crimes, Reddy says DUI consequences hit immediately.

"You're getting hit with fees as soon as we impound your car," he said.

And just like so many people, Officer Reddy doesn't have to look far to find someone affected by impaired driving.

"I've had distant family members who have lost best friends, daughters, a friend of my wife lost her mother and her sister coming down the hill from Table Mountain," he said.

As the fun and games continue for everyone on New Year's, he'll be working to keep us all safe.

"My drive out here is not for my family, but it's for everybody in Fresno. It's for people who are stopping through Fresno or staying the night in Fresno, we as traffic officers have a responsibility to assure safety for the motoring public," said Reddy.

These DUI checkpoints are set to continue well into Tuesday morning, so if you've been drinking find a safe way to get home.