Results of a sobriety checkpoint at Johnson Road and County Road 400 North on Friday night, Aug. 23, 2013, were encouraging in that no drunk drivers were found among the 192 vehicles stopped.
The LaPorte County DUI Task Force and a sergeant from the Indiana State Police, Lowell District, did make some other arrests and issue some citations, however.
The goal of the sobriety checkpoint was to deter impaired driving and remove impaired drivers from the roadways.
Among the 192 vehicles stopped while southbound on Johnson Road:
– 1 non-custodial arrest (information and summons citation) for driving while suspended, prior violation
– 1 non-custodial arrest (information and summons citation) for never receiving a license
– 2 warnings issued for equipment violations
– 2 warnings issued for driver’s license violations
– 1 warning issued for a registration violation
At the same time the sobriety checkpoint was being conducted, a sergeant from the Michigan City Police Department and two Indiana State Police troopers conducted saturation/roving patrols in the same area. The patrols resulted in 13 citations being issued — 6 for seatbelt violations, 3 for speeding, 1 child restraint violation, 1 open container violation, 1 driving while suspended infraction violation, and 1 non-custodial arrest for driving while suspended, prior violation. Also issued during the saturation/roving patrols were 22 warnings.
The LaPorte County DUI Task Force is comprised of police officers from the Michigan City and LaPorte Police Departments, along with deputies from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office. The task force is a grant project funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is administered and monitored by the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.