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The Monmouth County Driving While Intoxicated [DWI] Task Force will conduct a checkpoint to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, task force coordinator Chief Michael W. Palmer of the Brielle Police Department said.

The checkpoint will be run from 9 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Sunday  along Main Street in Allenhurst.

Task force members and officers from the Allenhurst Police Department will pull vehicles from the northbound lanes onto Elberon Avenue to determine a driver’s sobriety, Palmer said.

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

Funds to pay for the checkpoints are provided by a grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety, as well as support from the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders. Municipalities providing officers do not pay for their time at the checkpoints.

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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