One RCMP officer takes multiple impaired drivers off the road during weekend shift
Media Release - Sept 11, 2024
A constable with Manitoba RCMP Eastman Traffic Services began the weekend shift out of the East St. Paul RCMP Detachment on September 6, 2024. The officer began patrolling on Wenzel Street in East St. Paul and at 4:42 pm, a vehicle was seen travelling at 75 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre per hour zone. The vehicle was stopped. Mandatory Alcohol Screening was completed, and the 64-year-old male registered two warnings. A ticket for $378 was issued for speeding, the male’s driver’s licence was suspended, and his vehicle was impounded.
On September 8, 2024, the constable was again patrolling in the East St. Paul area. At 5:50 pm, the officer was on Highway 59 and observed a southbound vehicle going extremely fast. The radar showed the vehicle at 155 kilometres per hour in a 100 kilometre per hour zone. The officer initiated a traffic stop and administered the Mandatory Alcohol Screening test, which registered two warning readings. A ticket for $770 was issued for speeding, the 47-year-old male’s driver’s licence was suspended, he received a serious offence notice, and his vehicle was impounded.
Later that evening, at 8:14 pm, while patrolling on Garven Road, the officer conducted a traffic stop as a result of information from the automated licence plate reader in the police vehicle. The registered owner of the vehicle was a passenger, and a male was driving. The driver provided a false and expired driver’s licence. When the officer asked him to provide valid and proper identification, the male finally did, which showed the 23-year-old was suspended from driving.
A Mandatory Alcohol Screening test was administered and alcohol was detected. However, the amount of alcohol did not exceed the legal limit. The driver received a ticket for $672 for Drive while Disqualified, and a ticket for make false statement, also for $672. The vehicle was impounded.
At 11:29 pm the same evening, the officer was patrolling on Highway 59 when a vehicle came up behind the police vehicle going 138 kilometres per hour in a 100 kilometre per hour zone. The 30-year-old male driver was stopped and provided a Mandatory Alcohol Screening reading of fail. He was issued an immediate roadside prohibition, his driver’s licence was suspended, a speeding ticket was issued for $548, and the vehicle was impounded. The registered owner of the vehicle was the passenger.
On September 9, 2024, at 6:32 pm, the same officer was patrolling on Garven Road when a vehicle was observed travelling 132 kilometres per hour in an 80 kilometre per hour zone. The vehicle was stopped. The 24-year-old male driver was given a Mandatory Alcohol Screening test and provided a fail reading. He was issued a speeding ticket for $731, a serious offence notice requiring a hearing with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), his driver’s licence was suspended, and his vehicle was impounded.
That same day, at 9:41 pm, while patrolling, the officer observed a vehicle turn from Garven Road south onto Highway 59 with four-way flashers activated and driving under the speed limit. The officer stopped the vehicle to see if the driver needed assistance. The 51-year-old male driver indicated that he had his spare tire on as he had got a flat tire, so he was driving slow for safety. A Mandatory Alcohol Screening Test was administered and the driver failed. The driver received an immediate roadside prohibition and his vehicle was impounded.
“This is not a typical weekend for a Traffic Services officer,” said Inspector Michael Gagliardi, Officer in Charge of Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services. “However, it shows that impaired driving is still happening and that Mandatory Alcohol Screening is an invaluable tool to help us get impaired drivers off the road.
“Every driver stopped by a Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services officer is required to receive the test,” Inspector Gagliardi continued. “As we see from this past weekend, it helps us to remove these dangerous drivers from the road. When drivers are impaired, they make bad decisions, and those decisions can have deadly consequences. The excellent work done by this officer over the weekend very well could have saved lives. Our officers will continue to patrol Manitoba communities in our efforts to get all Manitobans home safely.”