Two teams of officers with Peterborough Police conducted RIDE checks on St. Patrick’s Day night.
They moved around from location to location and worked all night. Earlier Saturday night, they checked for drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol on the Hunter Street bridge.
“Tonight has been pretty good. We had a couple of people blow into our roadside so far, but it’s been good,” said constable Dustin York.
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From Hunter Street the team of four officers moved to the bridge on Lansdowne Street, just west of River Road.
“This week, we’ve been out and up-front with the public, so people are aware we are out tonight,” added York. “We just want to make sure that everyone gets home safe and no one drinks and drives.”
“Madd Peterborough is thrilled that City Police are making it a priority to keep our residents that are out enjoying festivities safe from Impaired drivers. Peterborough has many safe options for party goers to get home safely, it’s just not worth the risk,” said MADD Canada’s Peterborough chapter in a statement.
On Sunday, for the first time, Peterborough Police will conduct a mobile RIDE detail.
“It starts at 7 a.m. Basically, we are being proactive and pulling over, looking for drivers who were drinking who may still be impaired and behind the wheel,” added York.
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In Peterborough County, four drivers were charged with impaired driving between Friday and Sunday.
Three of those drivers were arrested at RIDE programs while the fourth was a traffic stop.
In two of those cases, police allege the driver failed to stop or took off from the RIDE check.
“”It jeopardizes members of the public and the police personnel who have to track them down. If you see a RIDE program, please approach safely and please stop for our officers,” said constable Cass Jackson with Peterborough County OPP.