ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — With the Labor Day weekend here, local law enforcement is stepping up efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road.

Police want people to know before they celebrate this weekend; be smart, be safe and don’t drink and drive.

“We just simply get out on the roadways of St. John’s county, and we enforce traffic laws and during that we look for impaired drivers,” said Sgt. Bobby Kukar with the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office DUI Unit. He says this holiday weekend calls for a stronger presence of officers.

SJSO is partnering with the St. Augustine Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol to conduct DUI Wolfpack operation, targeting impaired drivers and keeping roads safe.

“With the holiday weekend it increases traffic flow out there and there’s a lot of people who aren’t paying attention,” Kukar said. “We have a lot of visitors in town for the holiday so with the city being a tourist area that’s why we put the extra manpower out here to be safe.”

An extra 12 to 15 SJSO deputies are spread out throughout the county. 

The operation kicked off at 6 p.m. Friday night and will go until 4 a.m. Saturday.

Officers will be actively scanning for impaired drivers to protect the public and ensure their own safety on the roads.

“I think people underestimate the fact that I’ve had one drink. I can make it home. It’s not a big deal, it’s a mile. Insurance companies will tell you that accidents happen within a mile from your home,” Kukar said.

Kukar’s message to the public is simple.

“The only thing I can tell the public is take a sober driver with you. Just get there safe and get home safe,” he said. 

According to Kukar, they are doing DUI Wolfpack just for Friday night into Saturday, but DUI units will be out every night.