A planned DUI checkpoint this weekend by the Port Orange Police Department has been indefinitely postponed, police said Wednesday.
The checkpoint was originally scheduled to run Friday night into Saturday at Dunlawnton Avenue and Village Trail and was being financed by a $12,000 state grant.
While the April 20 date had some people wondering if the checkpoint was designed to catch marijuana-impaired drivers, department spokesman Evan Doyle it was "merely a coincidence" and that the time and location was chosen “based on the statistical analysis of previous crashes and DUI arrests.”
In addition to the checkpoints, Port Orange police plan to conduct “monthly saturation patrols in the city” that will focus on detecting drunken and impaired drivers, Doyle said last week.
The grant, from the Florida Department of Transportation, will be used to cover the overtime costs for police officers to staff the checkpoints and extra patrols.
According to sheriff’s spokesman Andrew Gant, as of last week, the FDOT-funded operation had resulted in 471 stops, 5 felony arrests, 13 misdemeanor arrests, 14 criminal Uniform Traffic Citations, 292 moving violations, 105 non-moving violations, 18 seat belt violations, and 219 speeding violations.
No alternate date has been set for the checkpoint and no reason for the postponement was provided.