DUI Checkpoint Blitz - HCPD

[Oregon Woodsmoke]

I've been through the occasional checkpoint. Roll down the window, say "good evening officer", and get waved through. It takes no longer than stopping at a stop sign.

One of the good things that a checkpoint can do, is to slow down the number of drunks on the road. If the drinker knows there will be a checkpoint, he is much more likely to arrange an alternative way to get home instead of driving drunk. That's most of the point, to keep the drunks from behind the wheel in the first place.

I think the bigger issue here is: What is the system doing with the drunks once they catch them? Is any effort made to keep them off the road, or do they get a slap on the wrist and turned loose again?

I suspect that a suspended license doesn't do much to prevent a drunk from driving anyway. So something more stringent should be done, once he has been caught.

[ourdoc]

quote:

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Originally posted by afwjam

What if those five officers were on duty one at a time every night patrolling the same streets as the checkpoints looking for drunks?

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They already do and have for decades. Its called TEU, Traffic Enforcement Unit. They do all the investigations on fatalities on the road, and their main job is DUI enforcement. Sometimes they patrol alone and often as a saturation group.

One question I have is have any of you complaining been stopped at one of these checkpoints? I have and it took about 5 seconds of the officer saying, "breath in my face, OK, have a nice night and drive safe". I don't call that an unreasonable search, but the bad breath can be make that job horrible...

[PaulW]

ETA: Deleted by me. I realize now I completely misunderstood what you said, Dragon2k. My sincere apologies.

[dragon2k]

Thanks Paul.