Putnam County Participates in Statewide STOP-DWI Enforcement Effort

Putnam County police agencies participated in a special enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving last week.

The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown action started March 13 and ended March 18.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith said, historically, the revelries and festivities marking St. Patrick’s Day have given rise to increased incidents of impaired driving and drinking related crashes, resulting in injuries and deaths on New York roadways. In an effort to deter DWI offenses around St. Patrick’s Day, the New York State Police, County Sheriffs, and local law enforcement agencies across the state were out in force last week, on the lookout for impaired drivers.

Sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Kent Police Department combined to set up sobriety checkpoints at several different locations along Putnam County roads on St. Patrick’s Day evening, and screened dozens of motorists for signs of impairment.

“The checkpoints were apparently effective in deterring impaired driving,” Smith said, “because all the motorists screened were determined to be fit to drive.”

The STOP-DWI St. Patrick’s Day Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association and funded by local STOP-DWI programs, the STOP-DWI Foundation, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. This multi-agency partnership has allowed local programs to significantly increase their DWI enforcement and public awareness efforts. The Statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign also targets Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween and the national holiday season in December.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug-related fatalities, too many lives are still being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers, Smith said. Highly visible and highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.