St. Patrick's Day weekend was a very busy one for police departments across Dutchess County.

This year, STOP-DWI launched a statewide campaign to thwart drunk drivers. Sobriety checkpoints were set up throughout the region with the aim of getting intoxicated partiers off the road.

A huge campaign was launched by police ahead of the weekend, warning residents about the dangers of drinking and driving and alerting them to the fact that police would have a strong presence on the roads throughout the weekend.

Unfortunately, people still didn't listen. By the end of the weekend, a total of 31 drivers were arrested, with 23 of them charged with impaired driving. Dutchess County STOP-DWI Coordinator William C. Johnson says that these traffic stops will continue to be a priority for the county

Once again these coordinated patrols reinforce the message to separate two behaviors, and that impaired driving enforcement and prosecution is a priority in Dutchess County. St Patrick’s Day should be fun and festive for everybody, but for many it has become synonymous with drinking. We acknowledge Law Enforcement’s efforts to identify and apprehend those drivers who choose to drive impaired.

The St. Patrick's Day weekend crackdown was a coordinated effort between the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Town and City of
Poughkeepsie Police Departments, the Town of Hyde Park Police Department, the Town of East Fishkill Police Department, the Village Millerton Police Department and the Village of Red Hook Police Department

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