WESTFIELD – Motorists in the city, and the rest of Hampden County, should not be alarmed on Friday if they encounter a State Police checkpoint as troopers continue their ongoing effort to remove impaired drivers from the Commonwealth’s roadways.
The State Police is the recipient of a grant from the highway safety division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to fund ‘sobriety checkpoints’ in the state and
Colonel Timothy P. Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, has announced that such a checkpoint will be established Friday somewhere in Hampden County.
The announced purpose of the check point is “to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public’s awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs from our roadways.”
The troopers announce neither the specific location of the checkpoint nor the hours it will be implemented saying only that “It will be operated during varied hours” in Hampden County. Their announcement, however, states that the Friday effort may extend into Saturday, implying that the checkpoint will be operational in the evening hours.
The checkpoint is announced in advance “to reduce fear and anxiety.”
The vehicles selected for will not be chosen arbitrarily, the troopers’ announcement said and promised that safety will be assured.
Any inconveniences to motorists will be minimized, the announcement reports.
