The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and the Smithville and Alexandria
Police Departments will be out in full force combating drunk driving on our roads during the upcoming high school graduation.
As part of the effort to combat drunk driving, Sheriff Patrick Ray says his department regularly coordinates sobriety checkpoints in DeKalb County. “Our goal is to have a safe night for not only the graduates, but also their friends and family members who are traveling on our roadways. My department and I will also be at the graduation to assist you in anyway and also to support our graduating seniors.”
According to Sheriff Ray the areas where the checkpoints will be conducted on graduation night, May 22nd are Highway 70, Highway 56, Highway 146, and Highway 53 in Liberty and Alexandria. “If you come upon one of the checkpoints, you need to be on alert for officers standing in the roadway and be prepared to stop. If you see what you think might be a drunk
driver, gather as much information as possible such as a description of the vehicle and a tag number and then call the central dispatch at 215-3000 or dial 911.”
Sheriff Ray says grant funds help pay for equipment needed for these type of enforcement efforts. “My department and I , in conjunction with other area law enforcement agencies, often conduct sobriety check points in the county. I have applied for grants from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office to buy equipment such as traffic cones, traffic vests, flashlights, blue lights for the patrol cars, and other items so that the deputies may have the equipment needed to perform these types of check points. We have already received two grants to purchase this type of equipment and I have applied for another grant that we hope to get soon”.
Under the law, Sheriff Ray says these checkpoints must be publicized in advance. “Many of our checkpoints are mobile. This means the checkpoints that we do are set up at certain locations for a few hours, and then move to other locations. As a law enforcement leader, I am required by law and department policies, to advise the public where and when we will be doing the check points . Our department also performs saturated patrols within the county which means we target certain roads where we see increasing arrests for drunk drivers, accidents where alcohol may be the contributing factor, or maybe a road where we are getting a lot of complaints about drinking and driving. We try to have these type of checkpoints when traffic is at a higher rate
than normal for the safety of the public.”
Archived News & Obituaries