No extra checkstops during Stampede, but …
Posted Jul 10, 2012 1:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Many Calgarians are scratching their heads over the fact police are not increasing the number of checkstops this week as the city celebrates the Stampede.
Police say their checkstop program is in place 52 weeks a year, but they don’t step it up during The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth like they do over the Christmas holidays.
But Acting Inspector Mike Watterston says police are still watching for drunk drivers.
“All our officers have that training with respect to impaired driving investigations,” Watterston tells 660News. “So we have the tools, we have the abilities. When we do encounter incidents of impaired drivers, we are in a position to deal with it.”
With limited resources during Stampede, police hope that partiers aren’t driving. But if they are, Watterston says they concentrating their efforts on peak periods for drunk drivers.
“We want them to take taxi cabs,” he says adding that officers are aware of the issue 24/7. “We want them to know that” (the) “checkstop is out there during the evening. We would much prefer to have the checkstops out during the evenings. Our numbers show that’s when we’re getting the impaired drivers.”
Watterston says they constantly review their policies on operating check-stops and will add them in the future during Stampede week if they deem it necessary.
