By Staff
You drink, you drive, you lose
By Connie Nowlin
Managing editor
The long Independence Day weekend has traditionally been a time of increased presence of law enforcement on the roads, and this will be no exception.
That, according to Chief Deputy Maj. Mike Murphy with the Escambia County Sheriff's department.
One checkpoint was held 4:30- 8:30 p.m. Friday in McCullough as part of the statewide 'You Drink, You Drive, You Lose' campaign. Funding for extra manhours during the campaign checkpoints is made through the Department of Economic and Community Affairs Law Enforcement Highway Safety Office.
"We will hold one checkpoint during the holiday," Murphy said Tuesday. "Targeting drunk drivers and getting them off the highway. Also there will be extra personnel on night shift, looking to get offenders off the highways."
During the first checkpoint, 10 tickets were issued, one a driving under the influence arrest, and 21 warnings were issued.
"We just hope the next one is as successful," Murphy said. Three more checkpoints will be held by July 12.
These are in addition to the checkpoints scheduled by the Atmore police department.
That department has four checkpoints scheduled for the holiday weekend, looking for impaired drivers.
It will also field an increased presence on the roads, searching for impaired drivers, according to secretary Samantha Bennett.
Funding for the checkpoints and increased patrols is part of the Click It or Ticket It campaign, another statewide effort with the dollars coming through the Department of Economic and Community Affairs.