SUBJECT: DUI Checkpoint
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-NR-009
CONTACT: Lt. Matt Corn
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Dave Wedding
The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this Saturday, March 13, 2021 from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM on March 14, 2021. Law enforcement officers from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Evansville Police Department will join together to conduct this checkpoint as a part of a statewide enforcement campaign designed to detect and deter impaired driving during two of the heaviest drinking events of the year: St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA tournament.
The location for Saturday’s checkpoint was chosen based on local traffic collision data. Analysis of data captured between June 01, 2020 and March 01, 2021 indicated that several geographical areas within Vanderburgh County accounted for a disproportionately high number of reported hit and run crashes. The upcoming checkpoint will be located within one of those areas. Hit and run crashes are often the result of impaired drivers who try to avoid arrest by fleeing the scene.
The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership conducts sobriety checkpoints in an effort to detect and deter impaired drivers in an effort to reduce the occurrence of alcohol and drug related traffic crashes. Funding for local sobriety checkpoint operations is provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).