Crime & Safety

Sobriety Checkpoint Coming Aug. 17-18

The state-funded policing initiative makes roadways safer, says the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

have been approved for a DWI checkpoint next weekend somewhere in the borough limits, according to a release from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

The police action is funded by state grant money.

"High visibility, efficiency of enforcement, and media attention have made checkpoints an effective tool in removing impaired drivers from the roadway, helping dramatically reduce the number of DUI arrests in recent years," read a statement issued by Jason Loughlin, a spokesman for the office.

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The primary goal of every traffic stop is deterrence, Anthony J. Vecchio, a Freehold, NJ lawyer who specializes in DUI defense, told Patch over .

"Checkpoints also give police a great opportunity to write summons for document issues like expired driver's licenses and registrations—resulting in a surge of revenue for the state," Vecchio told Patch in an e-mail at the time.

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Vecchio noted then that the most common arrests by far are for suspected drunken driving, outstanding warrants and marijuana possession, and that with information given out ahead of time, surprise is no longer an acceptable legal defense.


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