O.V.I. Checkpoint Scheduled

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has released that a O.V.I. Checkpoint will be held in Muskingum County September 15, 2017 evening.

O.V.I. Checkpoints are funded through federal income and legalized by the Supreme Court to deter drivers from getting behind the wheel while impaired. According to Zanesville Post Commander Lieutenant Matt Boyd legally to hold a checkpoint they need to follow a few rules.

“We have to release the location of the check point the day of [the checkpoint] and we also have to have it in an area where people can actually get to their destination by going around not having to go through the check point,” Boyd said. “Our idea is to maintain safety throughout the thing. You know the last thing we want to do is create a hazard when we have a checkpoint.”

During a checkpoint the working officers will interact with the drivers and look for signs of impaired driving. However the O.V.I. Checkpoint is more about education than arresting an impaired driver.

“The idea behind a checkpoint is to educate the public. You know if I send five or six guys out on the road to stop cars, they have to have probable cause to stop those cars,” Boyd said. “You know they may contact 15 to 20 cars in a night. Whereas in a checkpoint we may have 300 to 500 vehicles come through and we’re speaking to the public and educating them and warning them of the dangers of impaired driving.”

The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office will assist in working the checkpoint along with any other local agencies that fall in that jurisdiction. The Ohio State Highway Patrol will release the location of the O.V.I. Checkpoint on September 15, 2017.