The NJ Attorney General’s Office has committed $84,000 to 21 NJ police departments with the goal of preventing drunk driving on Super Bowl Sunday and beyond.

As many as 400,000 people will be visiting the NJ area during Super Bowl week, with many of them participating in alcohol-fueled celebrations. This is a big deal because arrest data shows that the number of drunk driving arrests made on Super Bowl Sunday typically rivals the number of drunk driving arrests on other major holidays, such as New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and July 4th. In the past decade, approximately 1,500 New Jersey drivers were busted for driving under the influence (DUI) on July 4th. During that same time period, more than 1,600 New Jersey drivers have been arrested for DUI on Super Bowl Sunday.

At a press conference in Hackensack, NJ, acting Attorney General John Hoffman officially announced the “Sobriety Blitz” program. $84,000 in funds will be distributed among 21 law enforcement agencies located near MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford NJ, where the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday. The local police departments that have received funds include agencies in Clifton, Teaneck, Montclair, Belleville, Fort Lee, North Bergen, Bloomfield, and Fort Lee.

The departments are expected to use the grants to increase saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during Super Bowl week. Offering assistance will be the NJ State Police, the Hackensack Medical Center, the division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the NJ division of Highway Traffic Safety.

The “Sobriety Blitz” initiative is intended to discourage drunk drivers during Super Bowl week. The program is also part of a more ambitious effort by New Jersey law enforcement to target bars in North Jersey that might be involved in prostitution or sex trafficking.

For more information, access the NJ.com article entitled “Super Bowl ‘Sobriety Blitz’: Attorney General Announces Crackdown during Week of the Game.”