Millerton DWI checkpoint nets one arrest

MILLERTON — A DWI checkpoint stopped all cars on Route 22 starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, Aug. 23, in front of Eddie Collins Field in Millerton.

Officers stopped all 624 cars that passed through the check point until 11 p.m., pulled over six for secondary screening and arrested one individual who tested over the legal .08% alcohol level.

Bill Johnson, the head of the STOP DWI Program in Dutchess County, was at the scene along with four Dutchess County Sheriff’s deputies, three state troopers and four members of the Millerton Police Department.

“Our intent is to deter drunken driving, not make arrests. We focus only on impaired driving, not other ticketable offenses,” explained Johnson. “Word gets out quickly on cell phones, Waze, and Google that the check point exists and everybody slows down. We want people to know law enforcement is out there and drink less. After COVID when there was less enforcement, driving behaviors degraded for a couple of years.”

Dutchess County Sheriff Tyler Wyman observed that the drivers who were stopped were eager to talk with officers and pleased with their presence. Wyman said the number of cars pulled over for secondary examination and the one arrest were on the low side. “That’s a good thing,” Wyman said. “It shows that people are being more aware and careful.”

The STOPDWI — Special Traffic Operations Program — began in 1981 when Dutchess County wide arrests for impaired driving ranged from 1,400 to 1,800 annually and around 10% of all auto crashes involved alcohol.

By 2024 there were 1,199 DWI arrests and only 3% of car accidents are attributable to drinking. The mission of the program is to deter alcohol and drug impaired driving through enforcement, prosecution, education and rehabilitation. It’s the only program of its kind in the country that is entirely funded by fines on drunken drivers rather than tax payers.

The current “High Visibility Campaign,” which includes check points and extra police patrols, is active during the 100 days of summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day when traffic accidents are the highest, and other holiday periods marked by impaired driving.

The cost of these extra patrols and traffic stops are covered by the STOPDWI program.