Woodbridge Police Begin DWI Checkpoints March 11

Woodbridge NJ

04 March, 2022

10:09 AM

Description

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Every year around mid-March (actually coinciding with St. Patrick's Day), the Woodbridge Police Department launches a series of DUI checkpoints. This year is no different and Woodbridge Police will begin their DUI checkpoints on March 11, announced Sgt. Joseph Angelo. Angelo is one of the supervisors of the Woodbridge Police traffic enforcement unit. The checkpoints start on that Saturday and will continue throughout the spring, summer and fall. The first one will be on Port Reading Avenue on March 11, and then they will be on Highway 35, Rt. 27 (Lincoln Highway) and Rt. 184 (West Pond Road), as well as county and municipal roadways. Previously, whenever police departments received state or federal funding to run DUI checkpoints, they were legally required to inform the public in advance where and when the checkpoints would be, Angelo explained. However, the law changed and local police no longer have to do that anymore. But Angelo said he still announces them to inform and educate the public. This year, Middlesex County received state funding to have 30 checkpoints in 2022, but two thirds or about 20 of those checkpoints, will be in Woodbridge Township alone, said Angelo. That's because Woodbridge always ranks near the top of the state for having the most DWI arrests. There are dozens of county roads and state highways, plus interstates and the Turnpike in Woodbridge. New in 2022 is that Woodbridge will also have roving DWI patrols out every weekend this spring. At every checkpoint, police will not only be looking for drunk or buzzed drivers but also people driving high on pot or prescription pills. Each checkpoint will be staffed by drug-recognition experts or DREs, something police had to add now that marijuana is legal in New Jersey. "We're getting as many drugged-driving arrests as drunk driving," explained Sgt. Angelo. "But it's not just pot. We're stopping drivers who are on stimulants and narcotics. The most common thing officers see is drivers on Xanax, cocaine, fentanyl and even heroin. We've also seen drivers on psychedelics, such as mushrooms." He said those DRE officers, of which he is one, have been trained to detect signs of someone being on drugs, such as unusual lethargy, constricted, tiny pupils and slurred speech. Get great local news. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: [email protected]