Statement: “Pacific Beach has typically around 600 DUI’s a year,” Scott Chipman, a member of the Pacific Beach Planning Group, said on the KPBS program These Days on July 1.
Determination: True
Analysis: Appearing on KPBS, Chipman advocated for greater regulation of alcohol licensing in Pacific Beach. He blamed the neighborhood’s high bar density for continuing a rowdy reputation and large presence of certain crimes like DUI.
To check out Chipman’s estimate, we asked the Police Department for DUI arrest statistics from the previous two years. To compare communities, the department uses police beats that generally follow neighborhood boundaries. It’s a more narrow view than zip codes or City Council districts.
Last year, police made 514 DUI arrests in the police beat that roughly covers the Pacific Beach neighborhood. The previous year, they made 594 arrests for DUI.
For some comparison, the average police beat across the city had just 33 DUI arrests last year. The East Village had the second most DUI arrests behind Pacific Beach with 152. Other high ranking police beats covered central neighborhoods like North Park and Hillcrest.
To be clear, the police statistics represent all arrests for driving a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, whether that’s drugs or alcohol. The analysis did not include people arrested for riding a bicycle under the influence.
Chipman’s estimate was pretty close to the actual number of DUI arrests, so we’ve called his statement true.
To see how many DUI arrests were made in your neighborhood during the previous two years, check out the spreadsheet. The statistics are listed by police beat, which follow most neighborhood boundaries. You can find a map of the city’s police beats here.
— KEEGAN KYLE