Monmouth County, NJ sobriety checkpoint set up for this weekend

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP— Heads up if you plan to travel through Monmouth County tomorrow night.

The Monmouth County DWI Task Force will be conducting a DWI checkpoint starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 until 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 in an effort to combat drunk driving in the state.

The checkpoint will be set up on Route 33 and Jumping Brook Road.

“All westbound vehicles on Route 33 will be diverted into the Jumping Brook Plaza, where all drivers will be contacted,” said Michael Schneider, Monmouth County DWI Task Force coordinator and Allenhurst Chief of Police.

Schneider said the checkpoints normally run from Memorial Day to Labor Day but the checkpoints are being extended at the request of local towns.

The goal for the task force has three components. One is enforcement.

"But there are two other components that a lot of people are not aware of. One of them is education. We do that by handing out the pamphlets to every driver that we contact, explaining to them what the laws are, and what the consequences are. The other one is deterrent. Just by setting up is a deterrent," Schneider said.

The public announcements about the checkpoints are important. With the number of fatal crashes continuing to increase, and a lot of them involving drivers under the influence, Schneider said he is glad to be getting back into the swing of things since COVID-19.

There is one thing he would like to make very clear.

These checkpoints do not have the underlying belief of "let's arrest as many people as possible," he said.

"I strongly believe that if we do a checkpoint and we contact 1,200 cars and nobody gets arrested, to me that night is just as successful as the night that four or five people get arrested because it means that everybody did the right thing," Schneider said.

It's a bigger picture than what a lot of people believe, he added.

Members of the Neptune Township Police Department will work alongside Task Force members during this checkpoint.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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