Loudoun 'Saturation Patrol' Results In 14 Traffic Tickets: Police

PURCELLVILLE, VA — The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office held a "saturation patrol" Friday night instead of a scheduled sobriety checkpoint on Berlin Turnpike (Route 287) in Purcellville due to weather conditions. Given the extreme cold weather Friday night, the sheriff's office decided having deputies standing outside for three to four hours could have been dangerous. Instead, the sheriff's office decided it would be more appropriate to conduct saturation patrols.

Loudoun sheriff's deputies conducted 37 traffic stops and screened one driver for impaired driving during the saturation patrol near Purcellville. No arrests were made for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Fourteen traffic tickets were issued on Dec. 20 along with written warnings for various traffic offenses.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office originally planned to conduct a sobriety checkpoint soon after 10 p.m. on Dec. 20. The sheriff's office conducts sobriety checkpoints once a month and always announces the checkpoints the morning of the checkpoint, although it does not specify the location. At the Loudoun sheriff's November sobriety checkpoint, 217 vehicles passed through the checkpoint area and one driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

A regular sobriety checkpoint is done at one location with deputies standing out of their vehicle and making contact with drivers that come through the checkpoint. A saturation patrol means that deputies are in their cruisers and are patrolling the area. Deputies are searching for traffic violations that could indicate impaired driving. During a traffic stop, a deputy would then check for any signs of impairment and conduct further investigation if it is believed the driver is intoxicated.

According to AAA, saturation patrols can be as effective, or more effective than sobriety checkpoints in catching alcohol-impaired drivers who often evade checkpoints. Many police departments favor them over sobriety checkpoints for their effectiveness, reduced staffing requirements, and the comparative ease of operating saturation patrols, according to AAA.