As part of summer event safety patrol efforts, the Nevada Department of Public Safety and the Highway Patrol Division concluded their driving under the influence saturation patrols of the Reno/Sparks area Sunday.

The patrols, which included four overtime shifts between the Reno and Sparks police departments, began Aug. 1 and ran until the end of Hot August Nights on Aug. 10.

There were five DUIs issued in Sparks and 27 DUIs issued in Reno, according to Reno and Sparks justice courts.

“We really step up enforcements,” said Trooper Chuck Allen of Nevada Highway Patrol, explaining that the summer event season patrol coverage requires a lot of manpower. “It depends on the volume of people in town.”

Overtime shift allowance was made possible through funded grants from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, Allen said. These funds make the saturation patrol more effective as the officers only focus on DUI violations and signs.

“The positive aspect of having saturation patrols is that it is funded through grant money,” Allen said. “They won’t be dispatched on other calls. They’re very mobile.”

The breakdown of DUI violations between Reno and Sparks are difficult to differentiate, Allen said. While a majority of DUI arrests are made in Reno, the offender may have been driving from Sparks originally.

“It comes down to proximity,” Allen said “If you compare miles, Reno has a lot more to cover.”

Reno jurisdiction covers all of U.S. Highway 395, parts of Interstate 80, Mt. Rose Highway and Geiger Grade. Sparks jurisdiction covers the eastern parts of Interstate 80, Pyramid Highway and parts of Sun Valley and Spanish Springs, Allen said.