WESTFIELD – Motorists in the city and the rest of Hampden County may be stopped by state troopers Saturday who will be checking for impaired drivers.
According to a prepared statement by Col. Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, a ‘sobriety checkpoint’ will be established Saturday on the roadways of the county and may continue into Sunday morning.
Alben said that the purpose of the checkpoint operation, which is funded by a grant from the highway safety division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, 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.”
State police have operated such checkpoints in the Commonwealth for years and regularly issue notices to identify where the checkpoints will be in order to “reduce fear and anxiety” among motorists when they encounter the checkpoints.
Alben’s announcement states that the checkpoints will be established at various times and the selection of vehicles to be checked will not be arbitrary. He promises that safety will be assured and said that inconveniences to motorists will be minimized.
