For the Easton Police Department, making sure those who have been drinking never get on the highways and roads in Maryland ranks more highly in importance than going out, finding those drunk drivers, and arresting them. They would prefer to stop the situation before it happens. However, they realize that this is not always possible, which is why they have been specifically focusing on drunk driving lately.
They are going to be part of the campaign that is known as Checkpoint Strikeforce. This is something that will be a joint effort between the EPD and a number of other police departments across the state. It will begin on the 15th of August, and it will run all the way until the first of September.
The focus of the campaign will be locating those who are driving under the influence through increased local efforts.
This, however, is something that the EPD has already been focusing on. In 2013, they were part of a challenge that was set up by the Maryland Sheriff's Association and by the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association. It was broken down into brackets, with EPD entering the bracket for departments with between 49 and 99 officers on staff.
The department came in first, with 78 arrests for alleged drunk driving, which gets them an award and a $5,000 grant. The number of DUI crashes in the area fell by five, to a total of 13.
As police increase their efforts in Maryland, it is very important for those who have been accused of driving under the influence to know what rights they have from the moment that the accusations are made.
Source: The Star Democrat, "EPD traffic enforcement efforts pay off" Josh Bollinger, Aug. 06, 2014