VENTNOR – When the Ventnor Police Department announced last week on its Facebook page that it would be conducting a high-visibility DWI checkpoint starting at 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, the post received a lot of criticism in the form of snarky remarks making fun of the announcement.
“Please read our Police Blotter post in two weeks to see who didn’t heed our public service announcement,” Police Chief Doug Biagi posted below the advisory.
On Monday, Aug. 5, police issued a press release announcing the results of the DWI checkpoint.
Four people, three from other states and one from neighboring Margate, were arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Three of them were also charged with drug offenses, including possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to submit to a breath test and obstruction.
According to Capt. Joseph Fussner, 1,043 people passed through the checkpoint, and police issued 38 motor vehicle summonses in addition to the four arrests.
The checkpoint was conducted in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Ventnor Police Department, which were reviewed in advance by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Fussner said.
Ventnor Police received assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office, Atlantic City, and the Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township, Hammonton and Northfield police departments.
The extra patrols were funded through the Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund, which imposes fines on drunk drivers, and the Prosecutor’s Office.
