High Visibility Vehicle Safety Checkpoint

DATE:        August 28^th, 2010               

LOCATION:  Highway 77 and Pickrell Road 

TIME: 2200-0300 hrs.                

OFFENSE: A High-Visibility Vehicle Safety Checkpoint

 DETAILS:

On Saturday, Aug. 28^th, 2010, A High-Visibility Vehicle Safety Checkpoint was conducted by the Gage County Sheriff's Office at Highway 77 and Pickrell Road, with the cooperation of Gage County MAPS and MADD.During the checkpoint, approximately 247 vehicles/drivers were contacted and checked for valid operator and vehicle licenses, proper registration and insurance, seatbelt use, working headlights, turn signals and other safety equipment.

The following Statistics were compiled as a result of the contacts:

Written warnings          41

Equipment repair          13

Citations                         5

Arrests                            5

Arrestee breakdown:

#1                       DUI

#2                       Fugitive From Justice

#3                       Driving Under Influence-Drugs

                           Possession of Marijuana-Less than 1 oz.

                           Possession of Narcotic Equipment

                           Possession of Controlled Substance

                           Driving Under Suspension

#4                       Driving Under Suspension

                           No Operators License

                           Possession of Dangerous Drugs-Meth.

#5                       Possession of Controlled Substance

                           Possession of Narcotics Equipment

                           Resisting Arrest

                           Obstructing Police

                           Assault on Officer     

A total of 15-Full-time, part-time and reserve deputies, 3-corrections officers, 1-dispatcher, 5-MAPS volunteers, and 2-MADD volunteers participated in the checkpoint event.

The total amount of wages paid for by grant funding for the checkpoint event totaled approximately $2796.03.

Christina Lyons, director of Gage County MAPS, noted “These types of checks are an environmental strategy that is being used throughout the United States.  They are designed to increase the safety of the community, as well as educate drivers.  The majority of the funding to operate this checkpoint was from a strategic planning and prevention grant from the Department of Health and Human Services with a portion of the funds from the Drug Free Communities grant.” 

• Vehicles are stopped in a specific sequence such as every other vehicle or every fourth, fifth or sixth vehicle.
• Checkpoints are typically publicized in advance and signs are posted at the approaches to the checkpoints warning drivers that a checkpoint is ahead.
• Police must have a reason to believe the driver stopped at a checkpoint has been drinking before a breath test can be conducted.
• If the checkpoints are conducted properly, cars are pulled over at random according to their order in the sequence which diminishes the possibility of racial profiling.
• Law-abiding people are sent on their way within minutes.
• Average stop time is about the length of a cycle at a stop light.
• The primary goal of a sobriety checkpoint is not to arrest people, but rather to deter people from committing DUI.
• Sobriety checkpoints help stop drunk drivers who would likely remain under the radar.
• The publicity from checkpoints reminds people who drink that drinking and driving don’t mix.
• Research shows that for every dollar invested in checkpoints, communities save between $6 and $23 in costs from alcohol-related crashes.
• The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes to society is over $100 billion. 
• Research shows that checkpoints, if done correctly, can be effective with as few as three to five officers.  (www.madd.org)