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No impaired driving charges as a result of mid-day check-stop

Dec 19, 2018 | 2:11 PM

 

Medicine Hat, AB – Members of the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) conducted a mid-day check-stop yesterday afternoon on drivers travelling along North Railway Street.

Officers say they stopped 155 vehicles in their 33rd check-stop this month, as part of their Strategic Enforcement Program (STEP) in an effort to counter impaired driving.

“We did have 2 drivers that registered alcohol on the screening device however, there were no offences committed,” said  MHPS Inspector of Operations Joe West. “They were under the legal limits, both federal and provincial.”

West said there was one incident worth noting from the check-stop though.

“Somebody evaded the check-stop. We did recover the vehicle, tracked down the registered owner and several traffic safety act charges were laid in that incident.”

The check-stop was also a way for officers to inform residents about the changes made to the impaired driving law that took effect on Tuesday.

“Some people were perfectly understanding and not surprised. Other people didn’t know about the new legislation and were taken back a bit. So, that’s something the public is going to have to adjust to and we’re going to have to adjust to it as a police service as well. As we continue on, we’ll continue to reach a good balance.”

One complaint that a Medicine Hat resident raised, was in concern to how sanitary the breathalyzer devices would be after checking so many drivers. West put that theory to rest by saying this:

“The mouthpiece is a sterile piece of equipment. They’re disposable and they’re only used for one driver. They’re inside a cellophane wrapper and the operator does not actually touch them. They take it out of the package (without touching them) and they’re disposed of directly after.”

West said there will be a higher demand on their resources for the mouthpieces, but he doesn’t anticipate it will be overly costly. 

And if it seemed unusual for police to set up a check-stop mid-day on a Tuesday, West said it really wasn’t out of the norm.

“Certainly we have our large scale check-stops during the month of December. However, when we have lower call volumes, officers may, given the STEP Program, set up an impromptu check-stop. So, when it comes to check-stops, they could be any time throughout the day.” 

West said residents can certainly expect more check-stops throughout the holiday season.

“There tends to be more opportunities for consumption of alcohol and we’re certainly alive to that. Generally, we run more check-stops during the holiday season.”