RICHLAND COUNTY — The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced Friday morning an OVI checkpoint will be conducted in Richland County Saturday evening.
The location of the checkpoint will be announced Saturday morning.
The OVI checkpoint, funded by federal grant funds, is planned to deter and
intercept impaired drivers, according to the patrol.
“There were 11,324 OVI-related crashes in which 725 people were killed last year
in Ohio,” said Lt. Jason Murfield, commander of the patrol’s Mansfield post.
“In 2023, troopers made more than 15,000 OVI arrests in an attempt to combat these
dangerous drivers. OVI checkpoints are designed to not only deter impaired driving,
but to proactively remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways,” he said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol asks motorists and residents to call 911 or #677 if they suspect an impaired driver.
The legality of DUI checkpoints in Ohio has been approved in both state and federal judicial decisions.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in the landmark case of Michigan v. Sitz (1990), determined the benefits of sobriety checkpoints in deterring drunk driving outweigh the minimal intrusion on individual privacy.
This ruling permits DUI checkpoints under the U.S. Constitution by balancing the state’s interest in preventing drunk driving against the level of intrusion on individual drivers who the police briefly stop.
In Ohio, the Supreme Court has also affirmed the legality of DUI checkpoints, stipulating certain conditions to ensure they comply with constitutional standards.
These conditions, as outlined by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Policy Number OSP-200.21, include:
— The site of the checkpoint be selected by an official other than those who will conduct the checks.
— The law enforcement agency planning to conduct a checkpoint to demonstrate that there is a significant alcohol crash problem at the location chosen for the checkpoint. The site of the proposed checkpoint must have a significant history of alcohol-related crashes and impaired driving violations. The time and day of the checkpoint must parallel the peak periods of alcohol crash involvement.
— The site selection process must consider the safety of motorists and officers.
— The site must allow officers to divert vehicles out of the traffic stream without creating a hazard or traffic backup.
— The checkpoint commander will determine the random sequence of the stops and specify the method used to indicate which vehicles are to be stopped.
— The checking officers will greet the driver, screen him/her for the required articulated signs of impairment and either release the vehicle or have the vehicle diverted to the screening area.
— Should the initial observation of the driver give probable cause of a violation of 4511.19 ORC, the driver will be diverted to the screening area.
— The driver will be screened for alcohol impairment in the same manner as any OVI suspect.
