Burbank DUI Patrols Increase on St. Patrick's Day

Burbank Police Department will deploy extra officers Tuesday evening through early Wednesday morning to catch impaired drivers during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, joining a regionwide enforcement push across Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Officers will patrol Burbank streets from 6 p.m. Tuesday through 2 a.m. Wednesday, looking for motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, marijuana, or prescription medications. The Burbank deployment is part of a broader effort that includes saturation patrols by the Los Angeles Police Department, increased presence from the California Highway Patrol, and additional units from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The numbers behind the enforcement push are stark. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Patrick’s Day ranks among the deadliest periods on U.S. roads, accounting for more than 30% of all traffic fatalities during that window. It is not a holiday law enforcement takes lightly.

“Impaired” covers more ground than a lot of drivers realize. Under California law, officers can arrest someone for driving under the influence of alcohol, recreational marijuana, prescription drugs, or any combination. The threshold is impairment, not simply the presence of a substance. If you took a painkiller with your dinner and your driving is affected, you are legally impaired.

The financial consequences of a DUI arrest and conviction add a serious layer to the public safety argument. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office puts the total cost, including legal fees, court costs, fines, and related expenses, at more than $15,000. That figure does not include the ripple effects on auto insurance rates, employment, or professional licensing that can follow a conviction for years.

For Burbank residents planning to celebrate at any of the bars and restaurants around the Media District, Magnolia Park, or downtown near San Fernando Boulevard, the math on arranging a ride home is simple. A Lyft or Uber home costs a fraction of what an arrest costs, and that is before accounting for everything else a DUI conviction can disrupt.

Law enforcement officials are urging anyone who plans to drink to arrange transportation before the evening starts. Options include ride-share services, a designated driver, or public transit. Burbank is served by the Metro B Line, with stops at Hollywood Burbank Airport and downtown Burbank, and local bus service runs through the evening. If you are close enough to walk home, walk home.

The window from Tuesday evening through early Wednesday is when Burbank officers are most focused, but the CHP and LAPD patrols extend across a wider timeframe and geography. Freeways and major arterials throughout Los Angeles County will have increased law enforcement visibility throughout the day and into the early morning hours.

A few practical notes for the evening. If you are the person driving the group, drink nothing. California has a zero-tolerance policy for drivers under 21, and adult drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher are legally impaired. For commercial drivers, the limit drops to 0.04%. None of those thresholds come with much margin for error, and a field sobriety test on Olive Avenue at midnight is not how you want the night to end.

If you are out and realize you or someone in your group should not drive, pull up Uber or Lyft before leaving wherever you are. Surge pricing on St. Patrick’s Day is real, but it still does not approach the cost of what Burbank police will be looking for between now and 2 a.m.

The department has not released specific patrol locations, which is standard practice for saturation enforcement. The point is to create broad deterrence rather than funnel drivers around a known checkpoint.

Celebrate if you want to celebrate. Burbank has no shortage of spots to raise a glass on a Tuesday night. Just leave the car where it is.