Crime & Safety

No DWI Arrests At Cedar Grove Sobriety Checkpoint, Police Say

Don't let the lack of arrests fool you. According to Chief Joseph Cirasa, the checkpoint on Rt. 23 was a resounding success. Here's why.

CEDAR GROVE, NJ — On Friday night last week, officers from the Cedar Grove Police Department set up a DWI sobriety checkpoint on Route 23. However, despite 1,450 vehicles passing through the area from 9:15 p.m. to 3 a.m., not a single arrest was made for driving while intoxicated, authorities reported.

According to Cedar Grove police statistics, the Dec. 21 checkpoint in front of 525 Route 23 resulted in two arrests for possession of controlled dangerous substances and seven summonses for traffic violations. But over the six-hour span – although officers conducted field sobriety tests on seven drivers who “exhibited signs of intoxication” – no DWI-related arrests took place, police said.

Don’t let the lack of arrests fool you, though. According to Police Chief Joseph Cirasa, the operation was a resounding success. Here’s why.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“The goal was not to generate summonses, but to deter impaired driving with a highly visible enforcement detail. Prevention was the goal of the campaign. The public had been provided with advance notice of the check point. The thinking being, make the risk of being caught too high and therefore bringing about a behavior change. The public response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Cirasa said that the fact that no arrests were made for driving while intoxicated suggests that campaigns such as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over are working.

“This, along with ride share services such as Uber, are changing the mindset of the motorist when getting behind the wheel, resulting in safe travel for everyone on the road,” the chief added.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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