Sobriety Checkpoint To Be Held In Cuyahoga County Wednesday

CLEVELAND — Cleveland police will hold a sobriety checkpoint on Wednesday night, from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Officers will be looking for impaired drivers throughout the evening.

The checkpoint will be in the area of W. 150th and Puritas Avenue, police announced this week. Both the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Cleveland police have held sobriety checkpoints in Cleveland this summer.

According to Ohio State Highway Patrol data, there were 33 fatal crashes connected to impaired driving last year in Cuyahoga County. State troopers make 25,000 impaired driving arrests annually in Ohio.

For those wondering why law enforcement announce the location of sobriety checkpoints, the answer is simple: it's the law.

A Supreme Court decision in 1990 said a sobriety checkpoint did not violate Fourth Amendment rights...if it was publicized ahead of time. The Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Law enforcement have also said publicity ahead of a sobriety checkpoints can prevent people from drinking and driving. So the checkpoints serve the dual purpose of catching impaired drivers and preventing them from taking to the roads.