These 15 South Dakota counties will see DUI checkpoints this month

The monthly law enforcement effort helps to reduce alcohol-related deaths on the road.

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety is raising awareness this month on the dangers of drinking and driving.

Sobriety checkpoints take place statewide every month, usually hitting about 15 counties, in hopes of reminding motorists to “make responsible choices and avoid driving after drinking alcohol, whether or not a checkpoint is planned in their area,” says DPS communications director Brad Reiners.

DPS also announces ahead of time which counties will be monitored, most often Codington, Lincoln, Meade, Minnehaha and Pennington counties.

What is a sobriety checkpoint?

A sobriety checkpoint is a law enforcement effort that stops vehicles at pre-determined locations to identify and arrest impaired drivers as necessary.

These police stops are not based on unrelated violations of the law (ie., speeding, reckless driving, no seatbelt). Rather, officers are stopping any vehicle in a set pattern in a highly visible location that a driver will approach and must comply with.

Beyond arrests for driving under the influence (DUIs), including breathalyzer tests (PBTs) to determine blood alcohol level (BAC) as needed, the systematic effort is designed to “reduce impaired driving and improve roadway safety,” Reiners said.

South Dakota counties where checkpoints will take place in March include:

• Beadle
• Brookings
• Brown
• Clay
• Codington
• Day
• Hughes
• Hutchinson
• Jones
• Lawrence
• Lincoln
• Lyman
• Meade
• Minnehaha
• Pennington

How many sobriety checkpoints took place in Minnehaha County in 2025?

Other than confirming counties ahead of time, Reiners says time, day and exact location of each checkpoint cannot be confirmed.

Here’s a look at totals from sobriety checkpoints in Minnehaha County in 2025.

Reiners says the number of vehicle stops is merely based on how many happen to drive through a checkpoint that day:

• January: 30 vehicles stopped, 3 PBTs, no DUI arrests
• February: 18 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
• March: 150 vehicles stopped, 9 PBTs, no DUI arrests
• August: 49 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
• September: 105 vehicles stopped, 14 PBTs, no DUI arrests
• November: 63 vehicles stopped, 2 PBTs, 2 DUI arrests

How many fatal, alcohol-related car accidents are there in South Dakota?

According to the South Dakota Department of Health, among 365 alcohol-related deaths in 2024, 19% were because of a transportation/machinery accident, the second-most common cause.

The leading cause of alcohol-related deaths in 2024 was poisoning/toxic effects, at 24%.

Counties that most often experience overall alcohol-related deaths include Buffalo, Mellette, Corson, Oglala Lakota and Dewey counties.

Overall, males make up 65% of alcohol-related deaths in South Dakota from 2015-2024, almost two times higher than the female rate, with ages 30-69 at the highest risk.

Operation: Prairie Thunder not involved in sobriety checkpoints

DPS officials say the S.D. Office of Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Highway Patrol (SDHP) and local law enforcement agencies support DUI checkpoints, which are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety (SDHS).

Although Operation: Prairie Thunder (OPT) recently completed its 11th saturation patrol in Watertown on Feb. 26-27 – missions that bring together the SDHP with the city, county and federal law enforcement partners – SDHS officials stated last week that “sobriety checkpoints are not conducted as part of Operation: Prairie Thunder.”

Rather, OPT consists of targeted saturation patrols focused on criminal activity in a variety of communities.

Since its inception in August of last year, here’s a look at where total numbers stand for OPT, provided by the DPS.

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Ongoing Operation: Prairie Thunder running totals

• 443 arrests
• 281 individuals in custody with a drug charge
• 162 in custody without a drug charge
• 473 individuals with a drug charge
• 192 charged and released

Operation: Prairie Thunder criminal drug apprehension totals

• 1,109 drug charges
• 318 felony drug charges
• 791 misdemeanor drug charges
• 81 felony warrants
• 168 misdemeanor warrants

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Operation: Prairie Thunder ICE contacts

• 93 contacted
• 95 interviewed
• 71 in custody
• 9 apprehended for cartel / gang
• 10 identified for cartel / gang
• No human trafficking arrests
• No recoveries

Operation: Prairie Thunder traffic enforcement

• 42 DUIs
• 5 reckless driving
• 2,244 citations
• 2,725 warnings

The South Dakota governor’s office announced last December that operations will continue into 2026.