A pilot project funded by SGI is expected to help police officers in Corman Park take a lot more impaired drivers off the road over the next 12 months.
The Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) High Visibility Enforcement initiative went into effect in April. The first checkstop, set up on Clarence Avenue South in Corman Park the night of April 24-25, resulted in two drivers being arrested and charged with impaired driving , as well as driving over the legal limit of .08. Another four drivers had their licenses suspended and vehicles impounded for having blood alcohol readings over .04.
The SGI High Visibility Enforcement checkstops are in addition to regular checkstops by the police agency, according to Corman Park Police Chief Warren Gherasim.
“SGI has provided funding for 15 checkstops over the next 12 months under the pilot program,” said Gherasim in an interview April 28. “So we’ll be able to set up one every month, on average, in different locations around the municipality; as well as a few extra during peak periods like Christmas and New Year’s.”
Under the program, CPPS officers put in additional hours outside their regular shifts to staff the checkstops. They are paid overtime rates by SGI. The goal is to increase the number and frequency of checkstops in order to reduce the number of drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs.
“It’s still a very serious problem,” said Gherasim. “Intoxicants and motor vehicles don’t mix. We have very high rates of impaired drivers in this province, and education and enforcement are both needed to bring those numbers down.”
Gherasim said if there is any good news on this front, it is that the number of fatal collisions in Saskatchewan fell below 100 last year for the first time in many years.
“In 2020, there were 70 deaths from motor vehicle collisions in which alcohol was involved,” he said.
Over the past three years, there has been a sharp spike in impaired driving charges laid by Corman Park Police. Gherasim said the increase is attributable to more systematic enforcement efforts.
In the calendar year 2018, Corman Park Police laid a total of seven impaired driving charges.
In 2019, when Gherasim took over as CPPS Chief of Police, they arrested 39 impaired drivers.
In 2020, the police agency made 80 impaired driving arrests.
So far in 2021, there have been 47 impaired drivers arrested by CPPS.
“We’re on pace to hit 130 impaired drivers this year,” said Gherasim.
Along with an increased focus on impaired driving, the CPPS implemented a policy in 2019 of mandatory roadside breath tests of all drivers during traffic stops between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Gherasim said the mandatory roadside testing policy for all drivers during those night-time hours, regardless of the reason they were pulled over, not only removed the possibility of discrimination, it also led to the arrests of many impaired drivers who did not show any outward signs of alcohol or drug consumption.
“The mandatory screening process caught quite a few impaired drivers that otherwise might have slipped through the net,” said Gherasim. “Even an experienced police officer may not be able to detect all the signs and symptoms.”
Gherasim said 41 per cent of the impaired driving arrests in 2019 (16 of 39 cases) were directly attributable to the CPPS mandatory screening policy.
“That’s a compelling percentage,” said Gherasim. “In 2020, 21 of 80 cases, or 26 per cent of the arrests, were as a result of the mandatory screening. So far in 2021, 13 of the 47 arrests, or 28 per cent, are because of mandatory screening.
“Generally, it’s safe to say that about one-quarter of our impaired driving arrests are attributable to mandatory roadside screening.”
Gherasim said a high percentage of collisions in which alcohol played a role involve “marginally impaired” drivers; the same ones who are over the legal limit but don’t show any outward signs or symptoms. Mandatory roadside screening during night-time checkstops catches many of those “marginally impaired” drivers, he added.
While mandatory roadside screening is a useful policy, Gherasim said not all police services in the province are able to implement it for a variety of reasons. Cost is a big factor.
“Each patrol car needs to have two testing devices, so a driver has an opportunity to appeal the reading of the first device,” said Gherasim. “At $1,000 each, that can add up for a large department.”
The CPPS has five patrol cars, each of which is equipped with two roadside testing devices.
The CPPS is also expected to receive two drug detection instruments next month to assist them in screening drivers who may be impaired by drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and opioids.