Sobriety checkpoints planned

The Cape Girardeau Police Department announced Tuesday that it would be conducting sobriety checkpoints this weekend. Motorists may experience minor delays in traffic flow as a result.

The intent of the checkpoints is to be a deterrent, said Lt. John Davis of the police department.

"We don't determine success by a high number of arrests," Davis said. "Success to us is an accident-free evening."

Depending on the time and location of the checkpoints, Davis said officers can check from 200 to 400 vehicles. The checkpoints have resulted in anywhere from two to 23 arrests.

"But the number of arrests are moot," he said. "We let people know we're going to be out, we just don't tell them when or where.

'Our intent is to remove them from the street before they get to us. They can hire a cab or ask a friend for a drive, something along those lines.

Davis said the police department executes the checkpoints regularly, but there is no timetable.

"We try to do them often, but we don't get to as much as we'd like," he said.