Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong expected criticism for his department’s work in a joint operation with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on a safety checkpoint last weekend.

However, Armstrong is more concerned about keeping Vicksburg citizens safe than he is the shortsighted criticism of some.

“The safety check points are being done all in the name of keeping the citizens of Vicksburg and Warren County safe,” Armstrong said. “We never know how many lives we save when we go out and do what we do.”

Last weekend’s checkpoint — the first such joint operation between the two departments Armstrong can recall — netted significant results. Between 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. on Sunday, the VPD officers and Warren County sheriff’s deputies made 22 arrests, 14 people brought in because of outstanding warrants, 66 citations and two arrests for driving under the influence.

However, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the joint operation had nothing to do with statistics.

“With the sheriff’s office, it’s never about statistics. It’s about prevention,” Pace said. “This type of highly-visible law enforcement activity, especially at this time of year, will serve as a deterrent for people who choose to drive under the influence. It also gives us an opportunity to see who is moving about. It gives us an opportunity to enforce traffic laws, but it’s also a highly-visible deterrent for other criminal activity.”

Armstrong said the check points help keep residents safe.

“We don’t want to ruin anyone’s holiday. However, this time of year, people are more likely to celebrate with alcoholic beverages and drugs. We are trying to keep people safe,” Armstrong said.

“I’ve had to knock on the door in the middle of the night and tell a family member that someone they love and care for will never come home again simply because someone made a poor choice to operate a vehicle while impaired. To those people who feel like safety checks are a waste of time, I ask them to talk to some of the families who have lost loved ones in crashes. I think they would have a different viewpoint if they did.”

He said many call alcohol- and drug-related crashes accidents, but said they are not.

“People don’t accidentally drink a fifth of whiskey and get behind the wheel of a car. They don’t accidentally smoke marijuana and get behind the wheel or a car. Those are choices, poor choices,” Armstrong said.

He urged all who will be celebrating with alcohol this holiday season to “put your DUI avoidance plan in place way before you start drinking. Once you start drinking or doing drugs, your ability to make good choices is gone.”

The safety checkpoints will continue through the Christmas and New Year season, Armstrong said.

“All law enforcement officers who care about their communities are doing the same thing,” he said.