"Sobriety Checkpoints"

As my fellow Coloradoans are aware, they just wrapped up their holiday
weekend "The Heat is On" campaign.

This may have been answered elsewhere, if so, point me in the right
direction.

How exactly does the state get away with stopping motorists at a
'checkpoint'? Seems to me they have to have 'probable cause', and I'm not
sure the mere act of driving late at night constitutes that.

Bob Lutz wrote:

> How exactly does the state get away with stopping motorists at a
> 'checkpoint'? Seems to me they have to have 'probable cause', and I'm not
> sure the mere act of driving late at night constitutes that.

IIRC, making "random" stops negates the need for reasonable suspicion or
probable cause. The last time I complained about it (though a post on a
local newspaper's "submit your opinion on this story"), I basically was
lambasted for "failing to support the police."

Bob Lutz wrote:

> How exactly does the state get away with stopping motorists at a
> 'checkpoint'? Seems to me they have to have 'probable cause', and I'm not
> sure the mere act of driving late at night constitutes that.

IIRC, making "random" stops negates the need for reasonable suspicion or
probable cause. The last time I complained about it (though a post on a
local newspaper's "submit your opinion on this story"), I basically was
lambasted for "failing to support the police."

Don't blame the cops for this. Blame the legislators for making the
penalty for DUI a fine instead of the madatory prison sentence it
should be. As long as DUI penalties are so light, the criminals will
keep on driving drunk and the rest of us will have to suffer thru these
checkpoints.

Don't blame the cops for this. Blame the legislators for making the
penalty for DUI a fine instead of the madatory prison sentence it
should be. As long as DUI penalties are so light, the criminals will
keep on driving drunk and the rest of us will have to suffer thru these
checkpoints.

"Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Don't blame the cops for this. Blame the legislators for making the
> penalty for DUI a fine instead of the madatory prison sentence it
> should be. As long as DUI penalties are so light, the criminals will
> keep on driving drunk and the rest of us will have to suffer thru these
> checkpoints.
>

How does the level of penalty change the method/type of enforcement?

"Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Don't blame the cops for this. Blame the legislators for making the
> penalty for DUI a fine instead of the madatory prison sentence it
> should be. As long as DUI penalties are so light, the criminals will
> keep on driving drunk and the rest of us will have to suffer thru these
> checkpoints.
>

How does the level of penalty change the method/type of enforcement?

Aww heck, all ya gotta do is buy a scanner from Wal-mart for $50 and
you can avoid dem dar check points.

Aww heck, all ya gotta do is buy a scanner from Wal-mart for $50 and
you can avoid dem dar check points.

Bob Lutz > wrote in
newsan.2005.01.07.01.55.12.626542@blutz:

> As my fellow Coloradoans are aware, they just wrapped up their holiday
> weekend "The Heat is On" campaign.
>
> This may have been answered elsewhere, if so, point me in the right
> direction.
>
> How exactly does the state get away with stopping motorists at a
> 'checkpoint'? Seems to me they have to have 'probable cause', and I'm
> not sure the mere act of driving late at night constitutes that.
>
>

One way is calling it "random" because they take 10 cars and let the rest
pass while the grill the 10 captives.Then grab 10 more.
It truly IS unconstitutional;it interferes with their free travel without
probable cause.It should not matter what mode of transportation is being
used.It's no different than being accosted by highwaymen.

A prime example of how our Judges are destroying the Constitution,by
judicial activism.
Any decent judge would/should toss out any arrests made by "sobriety
checkpoints".(roadblocks)
It would be different if the police had rolling wolf-packs and observed a
vehicle behaving erratically,saw an infraction,or noticed a vehicle problem
such as a dead or wrongly aimed headlight,or excessively loud stereo.It
would even be legit for them to wait down the road from known bars and stop
those observed to be driving erratically.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net