Oregon Public Broadcasting

Law enforcement officers are stepping up DUII patrols over the long holiday weekend.

Sheriff's departments from Yamhill, Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties are combining resources to target drunk drivers.

Sgt. Vance Stimler is a spokesman for the Washington County Sheriff.

Vance Stimler: "If the deputy comes across a driver they believe is intoxicated while they're driving, it doesn't matter where they are, they will stop that person and enforce the law.  If it's a Washington County deputy in Clackamas County, it makes no difference."

More deputies will be on the roads, paid for by federal grants.

The stepped-up patrols will be in effect on Oregon's waterways too. Boating while intoxicated is also illegal.

The Labor Day holiday in 2008 alone saw 10 traffic fatalities on Oregon highways.