Missouri law enforcement cracking down on drunk drivers on Saturation Saturday post-pandemic

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - Law enforcement officers in the St. Louis region are cracking down on drunk drivers ahead of the Labor Day holiday with Saturation Saturday.

Saturation Saturday is a partnership between Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and law enforcement across the country to deter impaired driving.

“I’ve actually participated in all four years of Saturation Saturday,” said Deputy Sheriff Shawn Loness with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. “So, if a person who usually commits this crime knows that there’s hundreds of officers throughout the state looking for that exact thing, it might change their mind and they’ll get a sober driver for the night. Since COVID has ramped down and everything has opened back up, our numbers are through the roof.”

MADD had several members of its team present at Whitfield School in Creve Coeur Saturday for an event with area law enforcement for Saturation Saturday.

MADD program specialist Christopher Pate told News 4 he was a victim of a drunk driving accident in 2009 in St. Louis.

“I’m still recovering,” Pate said. “The drunk driver changed everything about me.”

This is the fourth year the event has been held.