SANFORD — On Saturday, the Sanford Police Department, in conjunction with the Regional Impaired Driving Enforcement Team, will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in Sanford.

Organizers say this enforcement effort is designed to identify and arrest those who operate under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The RIDE team is funded by the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. Members of the team are law enforcement officers experienced in detecting impaired drivers. Some members of the team are also drug recognition experts, said Sanford Police Sgt. Matthew Jones.

RIDE members participating in the checkpoint are from Sanford Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, Saco, Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, Ogunquit, North Berwick amd Berwick police departments, and Maine State Police.

Jones said that in addition to removing impaired motorists, the checkpoint is aimed at increasing awareness of driving impaired and the serious consequences for those who do so. In 2010 alone, more than 10,000 people died in the U.S. in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.

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