JOPLIN, Mo. —
The Joplin Police Department stopped 40 vehicles in a saturation patrol Saturday focused on detecting impaired drivers, while law enforcement agencies participating in a checkpoint the same day in Pittsburg, Kan., stopped 73 drivers.
The six officers assigned to the enforcement detail in Joplin arrested four people for driving while intoxicated and made nine arrests on other charges. They also issued 27 citations for various violations.
The checkpoint conducted in the 800 block of Fourth Street in Pittsburg between 11 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday produced three arrests for driving under the influence. Two minors were charged with being in possession of alcohol, and three people were charged with transporting open containers of alcohol. Officers made one other traffic-related arrest.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a DWI checkpoint Friday through Sunday with the assistance of the Southwest Missouri DWI Task Force.
The sheriff’s office said the effort will entail a “no-refusal checkpoint,” meaning that a search warrant will be obtained and a blood sample taken from any driver who refuses a breath test. A member of the Jasper County prosecutor’s office and a judge will be on the scene to handle search warrants or any other necessary legal documents, according to the sheriff’s office.
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