Ten arrests made in Labor Day weekend checkpoint
The number of arrests this year was a decrease from last August's checkpoint.
Published Sept. 10, 2010
The Columbia Police Department stopped more than 100 drivers during a sobriety checkpoint Friday on Rock Quarry Road just past Capen Park.
The department announced in a Sept. 1 news release they would hold a sobriety checkpoint sometime between Sept. 2 and Sept. 4. Officers stopped 142 cars during the checkpoint, a later news release stated.
"We don't tell them which night, not necessarily to be tricky, but to be a deterrence so they can be more cautious," CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
CPD made six arrests for DWIs and four others ranging from suspended license to narcotics possession. In addition, there were 16 warnings issued for no proof of insurance and two expired license plates.
The CPD sobriety checkpoints and the Boone County Sheriff Department's monthly sobriety checkpoints might already be making a difference in traffic safety, Haden said. According to a past Maneater article, last August the Sheriff Department's sobriety checkpoint yielded nine DWI arrests and 15 arrests for adult liquor law violations. Friday's checkpoint resulted in fewer arrests.
The Sheriff's Department checkpoint stopped almost 156 more cars and resulted in more arrests, Haden said.
"Crimes committed in the city sometimes come from the county and vice versa," she said.
Haden said the checkpoint took place at the start of Labor Day weekend, which is when people are more likely to party and drive recklessly.
"(The checkpoints) truly work the way they are supposed to," Haden said.
Haden also said the Sheriff's Department and CPD make a point to work together.
According to the release, several local businesses and associations, such as Walmart and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, lent a helping hand to the cause, providing water and support.