LEONARDTOWN, Md. (June 12, 2009)—This weekend, from Friday evening June 12 at 8 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Sunday Morning, June 14, the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, along with Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack, and Natural Resource Police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints in St. Mary's County. NRP will be conducting saturation patrols along state parks, including Point Lookout State Park which has over 400,000 visitors a year, many over the weekends.
During the time checkpoints are being conducted, officers will be performing saturation patrols in nearby locations statistically shown to have high incidents of impaired driving crashes and arrests, according to Community Traffic Safety Program Coordinator Jackie Beckman.
Beckman says checkpoints serve to deter those who are impaired from making the unwise decision to get behind the wheel of the vehicle.
If you make the decision to drink, Beckman suggests you prepare for a safe and sober ride home in advance. Call a friend, designate a driver, or call a cab. Bar patrons are encouraged to ask the bartenders in St. Mary's County about Tipsy Taxi. Military personnel are encouraged to call the duty officer or barracks.
Funding for this enforcement operation is provided in part by the Maryland Highway Safety Office and Checkpoint Strikeforce.