600 Cars, 19 Sobriety Tests, 0 Arrests in Mendham Twp. DWI Checkpoint

Hosting the only sobriety checkpoint in Morris County during the two-week Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, Mendham Township’s six-hour long campaign was one of the most successful in recent memory, according to Chief Steve Crawford.

The checkpoint was set up on Route 24 in Mendham Township between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug. 22.

Officers stopped more than 600 vehicles at the checkpoint and conducted 19 field sobriety tests, resulting in zero arrests, Crawford said.

“In all the years I have been part of these operations, it’s the first time the result ended in zero and in years past ranged from 10 to 17 arrests,” Crawford said. “The fact that motorists have become more aware of the dangers of driving while intoxicated is not only a credit to my agency but all the state and federal agencies that fund these operations.”

During the stops officers handed out drinking and driving literature and answered questions regarding safety on the road, Crawford said.

Mendham Township is one of many police departments across the state to be granted thousands of dollars to use for extra patrols during the two-week national campaign, which ends Sept. 7.

“This event was one of the most successful public awareness campaigns to date,” Crawford said.