Sobriety Checkpoint To Be Held In Solon Soon

SOLON, OH — Solon police will hold a sobriety checkpoint soon, the department announced.

The checkpoint will be held on "an upcoming Saturday," police said. During the checkpoint, officers will screen drivers for impairment.

Sobriety checkpoints are "an effective tool for combating impaired driving," said Lt. Roy Cunningham of Solon police.

“Because impaired driving accounts for so many of our region’s traffic safety deaths, it is imperative that we find ways to keep impaired drivers off the roadways and to convince those who’ve been drinking not to get behind the wheel in the first place,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham noted that Solon police uses both sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to deter impaired driving locally. Saturation patrols mean officers specifically search part of the city to identify and arrest impaired drivers.

Police also use media publicity to deter drivers from hitting the road after drinking.

“Highly visible and well publicized checkpoints are an important part of the equation, because they increase the perceived risk of arrest and make people think twice about drinking and driving,” Cunningham said. “We want the public to know where we are. We want those who read about the checkpoint to tell everyone they know that we’re cracking down on impaired driving in the City, because we want everyone on our roadways to be safe.”