MANSFIELD — The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Mansfield City Police Department will conduct an OVI checkpoint Saturday night on Trimble Road, near Millsboro Road, in Richland County.
The operation, funded by federal grant money, will run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is designed to deter and intercept impaired drivers.
Nearby saturation patrols will operate simultaneously to aggressively combat alcohol-related injury and fatal crashes.
“Based on provisional data, there were 540 OVI-related fatal crashes in which 593 people were killed last year in Ohio,” said Lt. Jason Murfield, commander of the Mansfield Post.
“State troopers make on average 25,000 OVI arrests each year 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.”
The county’s most recent OVI checkpoint took place in May, resulting in one man being cited and arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired on Ashland Road.
Authorities urge motorists who plan to consume alcohol to designate a driver or arrange alternative transportation beforehand.
“Don’t let another life be lost for the senseless and selfish act of getting behind the wheel impaired,” officials advised.
Both state and federal courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints. In the landmark 1990 case Michigan v. Sitz, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public safety benefits outweigh the minimal intrusion on individual privacy guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
The Ohio Supreme Court has similarly affirmed DUI checkpoints, provided law enforcement agencies follow specific guidelines. Under Ohio State Highway Patrol Policy OSP-200.21, checkpoints must satisfy strict requirements:
- An official not involved in conducting the checkpoint selects the location.
- The site has a documented history of alcohol-related crashes and impaired driving violations, scheduled during peak periods for alcohol involvement.
- The location guarantees safety for motorists and officers, allowing traffic to be diverted without creating hazards or congestion.
- The checkpoint commander establishes a random stopping sequence in advance.
- Officers greet drivers and screen them for articulate signs of impairment before either releasing the vehicle or diverting it to a screening area.
- Drivers exhibiting probable cause for an OVI violation under Section 4511.19 of the Ohio Revised Code are directed to the screening area for further investigation.
