Winnipeg police say Facebook group flagging checkstop locations sends wrong message
Sgt. Rob Riffel says Facebook page may show motorists how to get away with drunk driving
Police say a Facebook page that shows locations of holiday checkstops is sending the wrong message to Manitoba drivers.
Check Stop Alert Winnipeg provides details of where police will be set up each day. As of Friday afternoon, the private page had over 7,800 members.
Staff Sgt. Rob Riffel said on one hand, posting checkstop sites may remind drivers not to consume alcohol before getting on the road.
But, he said, it could also be seen as giving drunk drivers tips on how to steer clear of certain areas.
He said that's a problem.
"[Police] remember most, out of anything that they've done in this job … the death notifications — and especially when it's a senseless death, like an impaired driver," Riffel said.
Riffel said those behind the page may be helping to spread a harmful, casual attitude about the legal implications and the human costs of driving drunk.
"I would invite those administrators of that website to accompany my officers on a death notification from an impaired driving collision," Riffel said. "It's not something anybody wants to do. Our officers are haunted by it throughout their careers."
Riffel said there is nothing worse than having to tell a family their loved one was killed in a crash that could have been prevented.