From Maryland State Police:
On Friday, September 21st, the Maryland State Police Bel Air Barrack will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in Harford County. The goal will be to locate impaired drivers and to promote public awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. Troopers from the Bel Air Barrack have investigated over 60 collisions this year in which a driver was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both.
Keep in mind that impairment by alcohol or drugs can be deadly. The cost of a ride home is cheap. Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app available for Android and Apple devices or any of the rideshare apps. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.
I feel so much more safer by allowing the Police to make non probable cause stops……Think about that
If these checkpoints get just one impaired driver off the road, it’s worth it!! A very dear friend recently lost her daughter who was hit and killed while stopped at traffic light. He was so drunk he never stopped and crushed her vehicle from behind. Think about that.
People who text while driving have done the same. Should we set up checkpoints for that?
I don’t disagree with your premise however checkpoints have not proven all that effective. Perhaps you place the dozen or so police on the streets to pull over drivers when you have probable cause would be a much more effective detterent. Instead of placing a gaggle of cops in one place that can easily be avoided.
Better yet under covers entering Bar and observing patrons? When they leave and get in a car pull them over. These kinds of Technics might be more effective than placing a gaggle of Cops at a location that can be avoided.
Why should all have their rights violated for a limited result? If a gaggle makes you feel safer well not sure what to tell you.
If you feel that strongly about it, then go through a checkpoint and then file a lawsuit later claiming that your rights were violated.
Good luck with that, though. DUI checkpoints (and other similar checkpoints) have repeatedly been ruled constitutional at all levels of the court system provided certain conditions are met (announcing an upcoming checkpoint in advance, sign boards placed prior to the checkpoint, an opportunity for drivers to legally turn around or turn off between the signboard placement and where the checkpoint actually starts, every vehicle passing through has to be stopped, etc.)
The last checkpoint the HCSO ran resulted in 4 or 5 drunks being caught and numerous drug seizures (including heroin.) Those were all from people actually going through the checkpoint, not from people turning off or turning around to avoid it. They actually had to shut it down early because they ran out of personnel to continue manning it.
I wont ever go thru a checkpoint because at that time of night I am home in my bed. The point is not about how I feel, but rather doing effective efforts. The checkpoints are for show to the general public who seem to be ok with having their rights violated.
Agreed. SCOTUS dropped the ball on the legality of a DUI checkpoint. In my opinion, the only time a checkpoint is proper is if the police are searching for escaped prisoners or terrorists fleeing an area. Something of that nature is allowable due to exigent circumstances.
How would a checkpoint for texters even work? It’s not like someone is going to pass through the checkpoint while sending texts on their phone and the police couldn’t just take your phone and look at your recent texts as you pass through….that would actually be a 4th Amendment violation, unlike a properly run DUI checkpoint.
I know its hard for you to think outside the box…..Texting checkpoints was an example used to illustrate a point. Just because it was ruled constitutional does not mean its effective. If it was effective why do the numbers say otherwise? How many more DWI would they have caught with probable cause if the officers were actually on the street doing real observation and/or police work? Perhaps that would be 10 drunks being caught.
Hank its obvious you have other agendas here. The point is its time to do effective efforts not give up personal liberties of citizens who are doing nothing wrong.
Someone explain how your rights are being violated by a checkpoint. Case Law and facts please, not typical sovereign citizen conjecture about “illegal search and seizure”. Checkpoints are neither searches nor seizures.
I’ll wait…
Well, since you don’t want to hear the normal 4th Amendment violation thing, the Supreme Court has already ruled that traffic stops are to be timely and not take more than 15 minutes. If a line of cars exist and your wait time to move thru the checkpoint takes longer than 15 minutes then the whole thing is unreasonable due to impeding the traffic flow. Just for the record, checkpoints are cursory searches of a person because under normal traffic flow an officer does not get the opportunity to examine a person’s facial expressions or speech impairment that they get during a Checkpoint. You just don’t get the detail of a person’s being when a car passes you, even at slower speeds or at night. That’s why checkpoints are searches and a seizure doesn’t need to occur for a search to be unreasonable. Why wouldn’t you think that a police officer shining a flashlight in a car window at night and asking a question NOT be a search? I’ll wait….