In an effort to make Missouri roads safer during the holiday season, Troop E of the State Highway Patrol will be sponsoring and conducting sobriety checkpoints throughout the region.
Captain George E. Ridens, commanding officer of Troop E, recently indicated in a written statement regarding the effort that during the month of December, troopers will conduct driving while intoxicated saturations in conjunction with sobriety checkpoints in Dunklin County, as well as the counties of Butler, Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard, Pemiscot and New Madrid. Additional law enforcement, specific to the region being served, will assist the Missouri State Highway Patrol in the operation, according to Ridens, who added that the checkpoint is "a static operation on a specific highway that is designed to check every driver to ensure they are sober."
"The driving while intoxicated saturation is a mobile operation in which troopers saturate a specific area in an effort to arrest intoxicated drivers," Ridens explained in the release.
In addition to the police efforts to crackdown on impaired driving, the public can equally play a part in keeping roadways safer by reporting any vehicle they observe operating in a careless manner to the Highway Patrol by dialing *55 from their cellular phone or calling the agency toll-free at (800) 525-5555.