The first week of the county police department’s annual Holiday Alcohol Task Force resulted in 22 driving under the influence (DUI) offenses, County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard, Ph.D., said Tuesday.
The task force began enforcement a week ago, Stoddard said during a media briefing with County Executive Marc Elrich.
The Montgomery County Police Department established sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols starting last Wednesday, Nov. 19 until Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, according to the county.
“Expect to see more of us out there,” Elrich said. “If you get stopped, make your stop a pleasant one, without giving them any reason to be upset, so you can go about your business.”
“We have available Uber and Lyft and other ride share services that will take you to your destination safely without you risking either getting a citation or even greater risk, causing serious harm or fatality in our community,” Stoddard said.
Along with the 22 DUIs, there were 127 traffic stops, 144 citations, and 124 warnings during the first week, Stoddard said.
The task force focuses on alcohol-related offenses over the holiday season. During the last holiday season, the task force arrested a total of 244 people for DUI.
The numbers from the task force do not factor in arrests from patrol officers outside the task force, according to police. So, the overall number of DUIs during the season is higher.
The task force is a partnership that includes MCPD officers as well as County Sheriff’s deputies, Gaithersburg City Police, Takoma Park Police, Maryland National Capital Park Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, and Maryland State Police.
