SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO-AM) – A sobriety checkpoint on Interstate 229 in Sioux Falls resulted in 15 DUI arrests on Friday night, Oct. 31. The South Dakota Highway Patrol coordinated the high-visibility checkpoint, working with the Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office and Minnehaha County Emergency Management.
A total of 757 vehicles went through the checkpoint during a three-hour timeframe. In addition to the DUI arrests, the checkpoints resulted in one arrest for possession of marijuana, two tickets for open containers and three tickets for possession or consumption of alcohol by minors.
Designated drivers who passed through the checkpoint were given “Designated Driver’’ T-shirts to recognize their important part in highway safety, said Capt. Alan Welsh of the Highway Patrol’s Sioux Falls office. The T-shirts were provided through a State Office of Highway Safety grant. Welsh said high-visibility sobriety checkpoints can be a powerful deterrent to impaired driving and encourage many people to find designated drivers.
Locations of sobriety checkpoints are based on areas deemed problematic based on research involving crashes and alcohol violations. The purpose of the checkpoints is to remove drunk drivers from the roadway and to deter drunk driving in the future. This creates safer roads for all drivers.