CLEARWATER POLICE PLAN MULTI-AGENCY TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS

The Clearwater Police Department will host a high profile, multi-law enforcement agency sobriety checkpoint Saturday night (October 27th) on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard (State Road 60), just west of U.S. Highway 19, Chief Sid Klein announced today.

Saturday's enforcement program, planned in conjunction with the Pinellas County Community Traffic Safety Team, is aimed at reducing the number of injuries and deaths associated with drinking and driving.

The checkpoint - which will route all lanes of eastbound traffic on Gulf-to-Bay into the Home Depot parking lot, 2495 SR 60, on the south side of the roadway - will become operational shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday and is scheduled to be in place until about 3:30 a.m.

Sunday. Motorists suspected of impairment will be videotaped while performing sobriety tests and -if arrested - will have their blood-alcohol levels tested at the scene and will be booked into the Pinellas County Jail.

"We'll divert all vehicles through the sobriety checkpoint traffic pattern, unless traffic volume or safety become issues," said Clearwater Police Traffic Section Commander Lieutenant Steve Burch. "We may limit the diversion to something such as every third or fourth vehicle, depending on the amount of traffic heading east on Gulf-to Bay."

Lieutenant Burch said officers from the Clearwater, Largo, Tarpon Springs, Gulfport, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg Police Departments; and the Florida Highway Patrol; will staff the sobriety checkpoint.

Additionally, on Wednesday, October 31st beginning around 6 a.m. and lasting until around 9 p.m. officers from throughout the county will be lurking for aggressive drivers. This operation is a countywide effort aimed at making travel safer for motorists throughout Pinellas County.

Operation ADDS (Aggressive Driving Detection and Suppression) began in July 1999 and is designed to reduce a perceived increase in motorists who drive aggressively, putting both other motorists and pedestrians at risk, according to Lt. Burch.

"Aggressive driving is described as that of a motorist who commits multiple hazardous moving violations within a defined time-frame and distance," Lt. Burch explained. "Examples of such dangerous driving infractions include speeding, following too closely ('tail-gating'), violating the right of way, running a red light or a stop sign and other hazardous actions." Conviction of those offenses captured under "aggressive driving" adds 3 points to a motorist's license.

The Tampa Bay area media is encouraged to advance the information contained in this release and is invited to chronicle Saturday night's activities. Officers will have the DUI checkpoint operational before 11 p.m. Saturday for those television stations interested in preparing for a live shot or who wish to prepare a package for airing on Sunday. A briefing will be held in the Home Depot parking lot beginning at 10 p.m.

For additional details regarding this incident, contact Traffic Section Commander Lieutenant Steve Burch at 562-4161, Sergeant Robert Wierzba at 562-4338 or Acting Public Information Officer, Sergeant Doug Griffith at 727-562-4347.

/s/
SID KLEIN
Chief of Police