Abrupt driving moves after 9 p.m. often mean DUI
Editor:

As a 25-year resident of Laguna, I consider the tone of the letter [5-2] from a citizen regarding her encounter in her car with a Laguna police officeron PCH after 9 p.m. to be unjustified and offensive.

She wrote, "when a cop pulls up behind me, it tends to psych me out." And in that state, she abruptly turned off of PCH into a side street and parked at the curb. The bulk of DUI arrests in Laguna occur after 9 p.m. as frequently reported in The Independent, so it is not surprising that the police are on the lookout for intoxicated drivers after that hour.

Understandably, the officerfollowed her, illuminated her car with his spotlight, and asked her whether she'd been drinking. He accepted her denial, and sent her on her way. So there is no reason to think, as she does, "there is an unwritten law that says when driving in Laguna after 9 p.m. you're subject to getting pulled over, for no apparent reason."

On the contrary, there is a written law that says it is unlawful to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and most of the violations of that law take place during the hours of darkness, after 9. That's why the police are looking for erratic driving at night - to protect the rest of us from getting run down or run into by drunk drivers.

Rather than standing as a criticism of the Laguna police, in my opinion your [reader's] letter actually describes an example of the excellence of their efforts to "protect and serve" Laguna residents.
Manfred E. Wolff
Laguna Beach