Less than an hour from now, the Cheshire Police Department will be setting up roadside sobriety checkpoints along state roads in town.

But even in the hours leading up to the the checkpoint, the department has been very visible. At about 2 p.m. this afternoon, I saw a department trick loaded down with traffic cones and all the other equipment needed to set up a checkpoint sitting on Cornwall Avenue, near the intersection with Main Street.

The department will be running sobriety checkpoints through 2 a.m. on Sunday, according to Lt. Brian Pichnarcik, who is the head of the department's traffic division.

Pichnarcik said in a statement that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when checkpoints are conducted. Cheshire officers will be enforcing seat belt, cellphone and other motor vehicle violations at the checkpoint in addition to looking for alcohol and drug-impaired drivers, he said.