The value of drunk driving checkpoints

Charlie T. Deane
Published: May 31, 2008

In response to the letter from Sarah Longwell that was published in the “Letters to the Editor” section of the Potomac News on May 26, the Prince William County Police Department would like to address several points raised by Ms. Longwell.

The sobriety checkpoint conducted over the Memorial Day Weekend was a joint operation between the Prince William County and Manassas City police departments and was part of the county’s overall efforts towards DUI enforcement. These efforts include not only enforcement actions but also public education and awareness. 

While Ms. Longwell’s assertion that “roving patrols” produce more DUI arrests than sobriety checkpoints may be true, such arrests tend to educate only the offender and not the public in general. Sobriety checkpoints not only provide enforcement but also go a long way towards public education and awareness and, consequently, prevention. Saturation patrol enforcement is an additional tool used by officers on a routine basis; it does not replace the DUI enforcement work our officers carry out every day nor should it replace the education and awareness efforts of sobriety checkpoints and other traffic safety initiatives. In fact, last year, through combined efforts, Prince William County police officers made over 1,900 DUI arrests.

Each DUI arrest and each DUI deterred is viewed as a potential life or lives saved. Much work goes into keeping county roads safe and sobriety checkpoints are but one part of those efforts. The police department did not intend for the times of the checkpoint to be released to the public; however, we did intend to inform the media of the time and date in order to receive media coverage at the event and to increase the public’s awareness of the risks involved when driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

We will continue to work to keep the roads of Prince William County as safe as possible and to use all methods available to us. 

For more information regarding the Prince William County Police Department’s traffic initiatives please visit our Web site: http://www.pwcgov.org/police.

CHARLIE T. DEANE

Chief of Police

Prince William County