On the following dates Friday, January 18, Saturday, February 2, and Friday February 8 Officers with the West Monroe Police Department will conduct sobriety checkpoints at an undisclosed location.
The goal of the checkpoint will be to intercept and incarcerate impaired drivers before they have a chance to cause injury to themselves, their passengers, or members of the public. Additionally we want to make sure that our residents and visitors to our city are able to drive through the community in an environment that is as safe as we can possibly make it. Statistics show that almost half of all fatal accidents involve impaired drivers.
Officials say there is a link between some of the improvements in crash deaths and stronger traffic laws and stricter enforcement. For example, alcohol was a factor in 45 percent of the fatal crashes in 2007 but dropped to 41 percent in 2011. In 2007, officers made 25,570 DWI arrests–a figure that jumped to 29,922 in 2011.
“Education, enforcement and motorists who voluntarily improve their driving behaviors are all important factors in the formula for saving lives,” said State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson. “While we are very encouraged by these crash trends, we also realize that one death is one too many.
We look at this as an opportunity for positive, proactive enforcement, but more importantly this is to protect and to encourage potentially impaired drivers to have their travel arrangements planned prior to drinking & driving, risking lives.
Other agencies assisting in the checkpoint include the LA State Police, the Ouachita Parish Sherrifs Department, Monroe Police Department, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe Police Department.
