MENTONE — Kosciusko County took part in another DUI checkpoint during the weekend of Friday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27. With at least one officer from nearly every police department in the county, the checkpoint ran from 10 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Sunday and ended in two arrests. Although it doesn’t seem like many arrests, Winona Lake Police Department Officer Mike Foster said each arrest could mean a saved life for a small child or another motorist.

According to Foster, last weekend’s checkpoint was set up at the Mentone branch of Lake City Bank and 200 cars were counted. Out of those 200 cars on the road between the time the checkpoint was operational, 176 entered the checkpoint. Two operators were found to be intoxicated.

At a checkpoint, officers use a formula of sorts to determine which cars enter. “We aren’t looking for cars that look suspect,” noted Foster, but said officers instead base it on how much room is available in the checkpoint lanes. If there are enough workers signed up, a checkpoint may decide to flag in every car until there is no room. “The most important thing is to be consistent,” added Foster. “Once you decide (the formula) for the night, you do it all night.”

Around the checkpoints officers work to make sure intoxicated persons aren’t avoiding the stop. “Those cars are roving cars and their responsibility is to work the area the checkpoint is set up in,” said Foster. These officers watch for traffic violations, including vehicle operators failing to stop or slow at the checkpoint after being given direction to do so. In that case, the officer has probable cause to stop the vehicle, whether the operator has avoided the checkpoint or not.

Within the checkpoint, officers have exactly two minutes to check identification and registration to ensure validity and accuracy. If there is no probable cause, the vehicle is released from the checkpoint.

Foster noted each officer who works the checkpoint is compensated with time and one-half, an average of about $36 per hour. The checkpoints are funded by a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, with last weekend’s estimated cost coming in at a little more than $3,000.