The Columbia Police Department will be monitoring impaired driving until this Sunday with an increased number of checkpoints and patrols.
A sobriety checkpoint on St. Patrick's Day this year lead to 19 DWI arrests, and Columbia's DWI unit arrested more than 200 impaired drivers in 2016.
The checkpoints are funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traffic and Highway Safety Division, but their funding is still a matter of debate. Earlier this month the Missouri House aimed to prohibit state funding for sobriety checks in its proposed budget for MODOT, but the Senate later removed that language.
Lawmakers have until May 5th to pass the final version of the budget.