DUI Task Force announces checkpoints
Posted by Staff reports July 04, 2007 6:00 AM
The Huntsville Police Department says its DUI Task Force will set up checkpoints throughout the city tonight to catch drunk drivers during the Fourth of July holiday.
Police at the checkpoints will also be looking for motorists who are not wearing a seat belt, don't have a valid driver's license or don't have proof of insurance.
Tonight's checkpoint will be from 11:30 p.m. to Thursday 3:30 a.m. at Bob Wallace Avenue and Patton Road, Mastin Lake Road and Pulaski Pike, and Bailey Cove Road and Mountain Gap Road.
Isn't the whole point of having DUI checkpoints to catch people by surprise by the police being somewhere drunk drivers do not expect them to be? You know, the element of surprise? Now everyone who is planning on getting smashed and driving will just go around the checkpoints.
I wish they would be so generous with their information and extend this announcing trend to when they were planning helicopter flyovers looking for weed or perhaps the next time they plan to kick in my door they could give me a courtesy call beforehand, ya know? I'd damn sure appreciate it.
5 comments:
Loretta, I heard about something like this not long ago.
Supposedly they may have 'scouts' along the roads leading up to the check out points, who would see which drivers (provided there would be roadside type announcement signs claiming 'DUI checkpoint up ahead' or something of that nature) and then the scouts would record those who may do what they need to do to turn around/dump their stash, etc.
But it IS the 4th of July, they may just be announcing it in advance to warn people that if they're gonna drive drunk, they're gonna get caught.
dave,
I think you may be refering to this post I did recently on fake narcotics checkpoints.
The difference is that those are not actually legal checkpoints. They do use signs and announce it and then watch for potential evaders. The only announcement one gets is the sign going by at 65 mph. That doesn't leave much time for evasive tactics.
This DUI announcement, on the other hand, was published in the paper in advance...which gives anyone who drinks and drives plenty of time to plan an alternate route.
It's odd. Almost as if the cops don't really want to catch the drunk drivers. I don't get that because drunk drivers are very dangerous.
I believe that by law, law enforcement must let people know where the checkpoints are ahead of time. This is so that whom ever they arrest for drunk driving (and what not) cannot get off with "entrapment". People will read it and yet still go that way and get caught, which they should have taken a cab or brought along a DD.
- CAD420guy
Loretta Nall said "It's odd. Almost as if the cops don't really want to catch the drunk drivers." And I think that is the point. The cops really do not care about safety. They care about revenue. Revenue from a fine for being over "the legal limit", revenue from not having a valid drivers license, and revenue for people not wearing a seat belt. Of course the sheeple will think they are safer when they see the flashing blue lights on the side of the road and see the cops violating the Constitution to "keep us safe." And if per chance they can make some sort of high profile "bust" while making these illegal searches they can put that in the paper as well. Why they might even make a meth bust. Of course they get a cut if the "drug dealer" is carrying cash. I think the bottom line comes down to generating revenue and making it look like they are doing something.
Daniel Lewis
Chairman Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County
lpmndc.org
Huntsville has always announced where the drunk driving checkpoints are, at least as far back as I can remember. It may seem strange but that's what our city deems necessary or something like that.
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