Bad weather cut short a vehicle checkpoint in Athens by several hours, but it was still long enough for police to make four arrests and issue 18 citations and warnings.
Twenty-nine officers from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) and surrounding jurisdictions participated in the checkpoint on Friday, July 21. They held it on the exit ramp from the GA-10 Inner Loop to Oconee Street.
They started at 8:06 p.m. and planned to stay until midnight, but bad weather forced ACCPD to terminate the operation just 35 minutes into it. Still, during that time, officers checked 158 vehicles for traffic safety violations.
The following citations/warnings were issued:
4 Distracted driving citations
1 No valid insurance citation
1 Suspended tag citation
3 Child restraint citations
2 No license citations
3 No license on person warnings
2 Window tint violation citations
1 DUI evaluation – no arrest
1 Child safety seat inspection
The following arrests were made:
1 DUI arrest
2 Suspended license arrests
1 Arrest for possession of marijuana with intent (88 grams), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
The checkpoint was held in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Piedmont Area Traffic Enforcement Network (PATEN) meeting.
Forty-Two police officers and sheriff’s deputies from eleven different law enforcement agencies attended the meeting at ACCPD’s East Precinct. During the meeting, Sgt. Schill from the ACCPD Traffic Unit conducted training on the Use of Force and Tactical Decision Making on Traffic Stops.
