Rainy Weather Expected to Bring Added Challenges for Law Enforcement during New Year’s Holiday

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Rainy weather during the New Year's holiday may provide extra challenges for local law enforcement agencies during what is already one of their busiest times of the year.

"Not only are we dealing with a holiday, but we also have rain in the mix," said California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Maria Barriga. "We have enough to work with with just the New Year's celebrations that are going to be going on tonight and with putting rain into the mix of it, it's not a good combination."

To help keep roadways as safe as possible, the CHP is beginning its maximum enforcement period early in the evening on New Year's Eve.

"Maximum enforcement is when we have the most amount of officers working patrol," said Barriga. "It starts at six tonight and it will end tomorrow at midnight. We will be patrolling up and down the freeways, to make sure that they're clearing any vehicles that might be disabled or crashes that are on the roadway or blocking the roadway, and also to deter people from speeding and doing things that they're not supposed to when they're driving."