Monmouth County is the sixth-largest county in New Jersey and is comprised of 53 municipalities covering about 660 square miles, accessible via numerous local, county, and state roadways, such as the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 195. Within these communities are numerous diverse attractions, from the open spaces of western Monmouth County to the Jersey Shore communities along the Atlantic Ocean. These attractions, along with the relative proximity of the County’s northern communities to New York City, make Monmouth County a desirable location in which to live, work, and visit. The County has seen a recent dramatic growth in its population, and with this increase, there has been a concurrent increase in motor-vehicle traffic.
With more vehicle miles traveled come more traffic collisions and an increased potential for drunk and impaired driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “the probability of a fatal crash rises significantly after 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and even more rapidly after 0.08%. Drivers with very high BACs (at or above 0.15%) have a very high risk of dying in a crash or getting severely injured.”
The Monmouth County DWI Task Force was established in 1983 and has been operating for 40 years under the supervision of the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The Task Force is the oldest continually running program in New Jersey. Currently, 41 municipalities, MCPO, and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office are participating members of the Task Force. The Task Force conducts an average of 46 events per year, from April through December.
From 2000 through 2022, the Task Force conducted a total of 724 events. These events – DWI Checkpoints and roving patrols – were staffed by 8,777 law enforcement officers from participating police departments.
During this 22-year period, the Task Force made contact with more than 30,000 drivers, resulting in nearly 700 DWI arrests, more than 100 refusal charges, and more than 8,700 other motor-vehicle summonses. Additionally, the Task Force has made more than 900 unrelated arrests, to include more than 400 criminal arrests and 500 controlled dangerous substance (CDS) arrests. Task Force officers have also recovered stolen vehicles, seized illegal guns, located a missing juvenile, and provided lifesaving first aid to a heroin overdose victim.
Additionally, DWI Checkpoints have served as an effective educational tool and overall deterrent, having saved untold lives throughout Monmouth County and the State.
The mission of the Task Force is to preserve life and property, the prevention of impaired driving, and the promotion of traffic safety. The Task Force uses the high-visibility deterrent of DWI checkpoints to encourage responsible driving by increasing the risk of arrest, educating the motoring public on the dangers of driving under the influence, and detecting and apprehending those who are found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Task Force’s goals are “Prevention, Education and Enforcement.”