POLICE WARRY OF HOLIDAY TRAFFIC

Law enforcement officers were keeping a wary eye on the weather as they prepared to deal with New Year's Eve drunk drivers.

Freezing rain and a chance for snow are forecast for parts of Missouri this weekend.

"We did hear we may have some freezing precipitation," Cape Girardeau Police Capt. Steve Strong said Friday.

Anytime drinking, driving and bad weather are mixed, problems are increased, he said.

Missouri state trooper Greg Hill advises New Year's Eve revelers to stay off the roads.

"Don't drink and drive," he cautioned Friday from Troop E headquarters in Poplar Bluff.

"It would be nice if we didn't have to make any DWI arrests and didn't have any accidents."

But state police in Missouri and Illinois aren't counting on hope to keep the roadways safe. They will be out in force on New Year's Eve.

"All the available officers that we have will be out working the roads," Hill said, estimating that as many as 40 troopers will ring in the new year on patrol in Southeast Missouri.

Last New Year's weekend, troopers worked 28 accidents in Southeast Missouri, none of them fatal. Seven accidents involved injuries and 17 people were arrested for driving while intoxicated.

In Illinois, state police will conduct roadside safety checks New Year's Eve. About 30 officers will man checkpoints in District 22, which encompasses the southern seven counties of Southern Illinois.

Cape Girardeau police regularly have a two-officer DWI patrol on the weekends, and this weekend will be no exception.

But Strong said the department will beef up its normal late evening and midnight shifts for New Year's Eve.

Still, Strong isn't expecting a flood of drunk driving arrests. "We often get more DWIs on other nights."

Master Sgt. Carletos Meeks of the Illinois State Police office in Ullin will be working the day shift today. But many of his fellow officers will be toasting the new year by watching for drunk drivers.

Troopers also will check for other alcohol-related violations, including illegal possession or transportation of alcohol and illegal possession or transportation of alcohol by minors.

The safety checks are funded by a federal grant.

Meeks said New Year's Eve partygoers should leave the driving to sober, designated drivers.

In Illinois, the accident counting period for the New Year's holiday began at midnight Thursday and runs through midnight Sunday.

In Missouri, the accident counting period began at 6 p.m. Friday and runs through midnight Monday.