DWI checkpoint planned for Nodaway
Irresponsible motorists who break the law behind the wheel in Nodaway County could be in for an unpleasant surprise this month.
The Northwest Missouri DWI Task Force has announced that it will conduct a checkpoint on an undisclosed date somewhere inside the county’s borders.
Sgt. Jamie Vicker of the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Department said the task force conducts several checkpoints a year across a geographical area that includes all or parts of Nodaway, Buchanan, Andrew, Clinton and Caldwell counties.
Other participating agencies include sheriff’s departments in Buchanan and Andrew counties and police departments in St. Joseph, Lathrop (Clinton County) and Hamilton (Caldwell County).
The number of checkpoints held each year depends on available time and resources, Vicker said. Task force operations are funded with grants administered through the Missouri Division of Highway Safety.
As with past checkpoints, Vicker said the one scheduled for Nodaway this month will target a single road or highway and involve 20 to 30 officers. Motorists approaching the checkpoint will encounter warning signs and orange cones placed to guide them safely through the area.
Vicker said officers will stop all automobiles and trucks, including 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles.
Though the primary goal is to get impaired drivers off the road, Vicker said officers manning the checkpoints generally encounter other violations as well, everything from outstanding warrants to driving without a valid license and drug possession.
Last year’s Nodaway County checkpoint, set up on Highway 136 near the former Energizer battery plant on the east edge of Maryville, yielded a couple of DWI arrests, he said.
“It really just kind of depends on the area and the time of year,” Vicker said of the number of violations encountered. “In the wintertime there is a lot less traffic, but in the summer it’s getting nice and people are out more, going to the lake and so forth.”
Meaning that vacationers and day-trippers could well pay the price for drinking and driving in Nodaway County this month if they pick the wrong day to break the law while endangering themselves and others.
Responsible drivers, on the other hand, will face minimum inconvenience, Vicker said, adding that the average non-violation stop lasts about 30 seconds.
He said drivers encountering the checkpoint should expect an officer to approach their vehicle, ask to see their driver’s and send them on their way.
Vicker said the task force was organized in order to beef up DWI enforcement across the region and especially in smaller communities that may lack the manpower and money to do a lot of patrolling.
“The idea is to get everybody together and help each other out,” he said, “We’re all trying to fight the same battle.”
Consequences of drunken driving in Missouri, according to a task force release, can include jail time, loss of driver’s license and installation of an ignition interlock device in your vehicle
Similar to a breathalyzer, ignition interlocks prevent vehicles from starting if the driver’s breath sample indicates a blood-alcohol concentration above a programmed limit.
Other DWI penalties, court-mandated and otherwise, can include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work and increased insurance rates.
Missourians convicted of causing a fatal crash while driving under the influence can be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony carrying a prison term of up to seven years, a $5,000 fine, or both.
