 Posted: Fri, Aug 15 2008, 1:41 am EDT Post subject: Police targeting drunken drivers |
|
| Police targeting drunken drivers
Thursday, August 14, 2008 3:17 PM EDT By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer CRANBURY — Cranbury police plan to make it that much harder for drunken drivers to fly under the radar, hoping to have their first sobriety checkpoint in nearly four years. Timing of the possible checkpoint was meant to coincide with New Jersey’s Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign, an annual program that cracks down on drunken driving and runs from Aug. 15 through Sept. 1. However, having the checkpoint is contingent upon the department receiving an electronic message board, which was purchased through grant monies received earlier in the year, said Sgt. Frank Dillane. The department is required to communicate to drivers that there is a checkpoint ahead and without the message board. If police receive the board by Aug. 22, the department’s expectations are to have the checkpoint sometime during the Labor Day weekend, he said. ”There’s certain criteria you need to meet before you can have a checkpoint,” Sgt. Dillane said. “The message board has been ordered but has not been received.” Another piece of criteria for a checkpoint is the need for additional manpower, he said. The department will require six officers on duty during the checkpoint. Fortunately, the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety selected Cranbury’s department to receive a $5,000 federally funded grant specifically to pay for the cost of additional manpower for the duration of the over the limit program, he said. ”We were selected due to the success rate of other grants,” Sgt. Dillane said. “It’s all based on enforcement and if you’re not active with (writing) grants you could be overlooked.” Once the message board is in, the department’s goal is to run at least one to two checkpoints a year, if not more, during pre-determined days and times when drunken drivers are more likely to frequent the roads. Outside of a possible sobriety checkpoint, Sgt. Dillane said the department will be taking other measures to enforce this Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign. He said the department will be having additional patrols starting today (Friday), with two extra officers on duty for five-hour shifts between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. In New Jersey, anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol level greater than .08 percent will be charged with driving while intoxicated. This arrest can typically results in a temporary loss in license, thousands of dollars in fines and in some scenarios, especially for repeat offenders, jail time, Sgt. Dillane said. Cranbury has seen a slight increase in DWI arrests in recent years, approximately one additional arrest per month or 12 per year, totaling 42 in 2007, he said. ”We’ve gone up over the years,” Sgt. Dillane said. “But we’re one of the more strict states when it comes to DWIs.” The campaign against drunken drivers appears to be not only statistic driven, but close to the hearts of many New Jerseyans, who have lost a loved one as a result of this reckless behavior. ”In 2007, 205 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes on New Jersey highways,” a Cranbury police press release states. “That number represents 28 percent of the 724 traffic fatalities reported in the state.” Statewide, police departments involved with this program are using educational tools such as posters, banners and mobile video display signs to warn drivers of the dangers associated with driving while impaired. http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/08/14/cranbury_press/news/doc48a47f00c2881686162825.txt |
|
