MUPD stops 35 cars in saturation
The saturation took place Friday night through Saturday morning.
Published Feb. 16, 2010
The MU Police Department stopped 35 vehicles in a saturation conducted late Friday through early Saturday.
According to an MUPD news release, the saturation was conducted from 11 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Saturday. Five additional officers were patrolling campus looking for intoxicated drivers.
MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said the saturation was different from the previous checkpoint.
"It wasn't a stop," Weimer said. "There were additional officers on campus, so all around campus. It wasn't a checkpoint like you saw the last time."
Of the total 35 cars stopped, MUPD made 16 arrests for alcohol related violations; nine for minor in possession by consumption, three for minor in possession, three driving while intoxicated and one open container, Weimer said. Traffic offenses were also patrolled.
According to the news release, MUPD, along with other campus groups, promotes responsible drinking through a variety of activities and programs throughout the year.
"It gets it back into the front of peoples minds," Weimer said about the saturation. "It shows that if people make the wrong choices on underage drinking, there will be negative consequences."
Weimer said there was no specific occurrence that spurred the saturation and more will be conducted in the future. Weimer also said there was no set goal for how many arrests were made.
"The goal of it is to get the message out on being responsible for underage drinking," Weimer said. "There is no quota because that would be ridiculous. Hopefully at one point (arrests) will be zero."
The Missouri Department of Transportation Division of Highway Safety funded the saturation. Weimer said no other law enforcement agencies assisted in the additional patrolling.