Berlin Police Announce Results of July 18 DUI Checkpoint

A Field Sobriety Checkpoint was set from 6 p.m. to midnight on July 18 on the northbound side of the Berlin Turnpike north of Middletown Road. A total of 1245 vehicles were directed through the checkpoint during the detail where vehicles were briefly detained and interviewed by officers. 

Of the 1245 vehicles passing through the checkpoint 10 motorists were flagged by the contact officers for DUI testing or other investigative interviews. The results are as follows.

• Number of arrests and charges (8):
• Five (5) motorists were cited for operating unregistered motor vehicles.
• Two (2) motorists were cited for operating with a suspended registration.
• One (1) motorist was cited for operating without a driver’s license.
• Seven (7) motor vehicles were towed.
• Number of motorists detained for field sobriety testing:
• No motorists were detained for field sobriety testing and no DUI arrests were made.

This DUI enforcement is funded by a grant from the Connecticut Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Division to support increased DUI detection and enforcement efforts. This enforcement program runs from Thanksgiving 2012 through Labor Day 2013. 

The grant provides 75 percent reimbursement of the overtime costs related to these efforts. The grant helps to provide funding to staff additional DUI patrols as well as roadside sobriety checkpoints. Roadside sobriety checkpoints have been shown to be the most effective method to detect and apprehend under the influence drivers