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The Monmouth County DWI Task force is scheduled to conduct a DWI checkpoint to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol and or drugs Saturday July 19, according to Brielle Police Chief Michael W. Palmer.

The checkpoint will be run from 11 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Sunday on Ocean Avenue, near the intersection of Brighton Avenue.

Task force members and Officers from the Deal Police Department will pull vehicles from the northbound lanes into the Deal Casino Beach Club parking lot to determine driver’s sobriety.

Funds to pay for the checkpoints are provided by grants from the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, Palmer previously told the Sun. 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 is head of the committee of the chiefs’ association which oversees the DWI task force.

At its checkpoints, the task force randomly pulls over vehicles. 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 has occurred 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 — one factor making the stop of the vehicles more likely to be upheld by a court on constitutional grounds.

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