Jefferson City area law enforcement officials said recent actions by Missouri lawmakers effectively eliminating funding for sobriety checkpoints for the fiscal year that begins in July should not affect the way they deal with drunk drivers.
"We don't do checkpoints because we do not feel they're effective as far drunk driving suppression," Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler said. "They are great for public relations and visibility. It is good for awareness; but as far as stopping and catching those drivers, they are not as effective."
The state Legislature in the past has provided federal funding for sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, the Associated Press reported earlier this month. Checkpoints block off streets and funnel all drivers through a group of officers, while saturation patrols position extra officers in certain areas to watch for signs of drunken driving.
The proposed state budget awaiting Gov. Eric Greitens' signature shifts all but $1 of the $20 million devoted to impaired driving detection to saturation patrols. Law enforcement agencies may still set up checkpoints, but they can't pay for them using that funding.
Bill Whitfield, Missouri Department of Transportation highway safety director, told the Associated Press without the funding, some agencies cancelled checkpoints planned for the summer, when more motorists are on the road because of vacations.
Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder said his department hasn't conducted checkpoints for several years because they feel other methods of enforcement are more effective.
"We have a traffic unit that is out daily, and I think we do a better job working on the matter independently," he said. "Given the dangers that come with those operations and the legalities, it's limiting in a lot of ways."
Republican Rep. Bart Korman, of High Hill, told the Associated Press saturation points can be more effective at combating drunken driving, as the locations of checkpoints can circulate quickly online so drivers can avoid them.
The Cole County Sheriff's Department more often employs "wolfpacks," Wheeler said.
"Those involve two to three deputies who go to areas where we know there is a high ratio of DWI accidents. The U.S. 54 corridor is one of those for us as well as Route C," he said. "We'll pick those out, and the grants we get for those require us to make two contacts every half hour. We don't even have to write tickets."
Wheeler said the Cole County Sheriff's Department get grant funding from MoDOT for DWI enforcement and hazardous moving violations, such as speeding, failure to pull over and stop sign violations.