SPRINGFIELD, Mo --Despite tightening budgets, police around the Ozarks are working to step up patrols for drivers whose decision to drink could be putting families in danger.
It was in April of 1996 when Richard Reed's life changed.
His son Greg, was hit by a drunk driver.
"The doctor came in and said he was brain dead. We took him off the vent and he lived about another ten minutes before he died," said Reed.
While more than a decade has passed, the pain is still raw.
"You never forget it. I don't think there's probably any hurt like that. I've lost my grandfather. I've lost my dad, grandmothers, and other people; none of that ever hurt like losing a child. Especially when it's something preventable," said Reed.
Several police departments are planning to do checkpoints, hoping to save lives.
It costs nearly five thousand dollars for a town like Republic to conduct a sobriety checkpoint. With MoDot going through severe budget cuts, police say they are concerned it will trickle down to them.
"That always bothers you because if we can get checkpoints out there or if we can get our regular enforcement out there, we are making an influence on this," said Jeff Bradley with the Republic Police Department.
For Reed, while nothing will ever replace his son, he hopes checkpoints will at least do one thing.
"That may keep somebody else from going through what we had to go through," said Reed.
