The New York State Police and Saratoga Springs Police Department announced the results of a multi-agency sobriety checkpoint conducted in the City of Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 2.
According to State Police reports, state troopers and city patrol officers arrested eight people for driving while intoxicated in a six-hour period. In addition, one person was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana and another was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
This is the second multi-agency sobriety checkpoint conducted by the state and city police in a four month period. The other checkpoint was conducted just prior to St. Patrick’s Day, which resulted in the arrest of nine people for driving while intoxicated, according to police reports. According to state police, this number of arrests is very high for sobriety checkpoints compared to statewide statistics.
Each one of these drunk drivers represents a potential tragedy. Too often, impaired drivers inflict serious injury or death on innocent people. And their families are left to pick up the pieces. It’s intolerable, said Maj. William Sprague, Troop G Commander.
According to the most recent available NYS Deptartment of Motor Vehicles statistics, in 2008 in Saratoga County, there were 187 alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, resulting in six fatalities and 127 injuries.“
