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A checkpoint coordinated by the Monmouth County DWI task force will be in front of police headquarters on Main Street from 11 p.m. Friday night until 3 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Captain David Kelso of the Asbury Park Police Department.

Seven officers from the city will assist in the detail, he said.

Funds to pay for the checkpoints are provided by a grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety, as well as $68,000 from the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, according to Brielle Police Chief Michael Palmer, the DWI task force coordinator. Municipalities providing officers do not pay for their time at the checkpoints, he said.

The Monmouth County DWI task force is run by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Monmouth County Chiefs of Police Association, Palmer said.

Palmer is head of the committee of the chiefs’ association overseeing the DWI task force, he said.

At its checkpoints, the task force randomly pulls over vehicles to check for drivers operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. During the stop, officers may discover other offenses for which motor vehicle summonses or criminal charges may issue. Those with outstanding warrants may also be taken into custody.

In most circumstances, an officer must have probable cause to believe a crime or motor vehicle offense is occurring to stop an automobile. However, an exception is made under the law for DWI checkpoints, such as those run by the county DWI task force, that randomly pull over vehicles in areas where DWI offenses happen with some degree of frequency. Publicizing the date, time and location of a checkpoint helps give fair notice to the public and increases the constitutionality of the stop of the vehicles.

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