Three Items That Make Field Sobriety Checkpoints a PITA

[GoingPostal]

DUI checkpoints, just a way of Big Brother letting you know they can fuck with you anytime they want. Look origionally they were an effective tool for getting drunk drivers off the streets but outdated and antiquated they are used just to try to find some other infraction. A more effective way to keep drunks off the street they would set up twitter or facebook pages and have people post when they see suspected drunk drivers

 

[11is1louder]

people who like to walk the fine line and constantly challenge laws get no sympathy from me.

I would say that a closed alcohol container in the cup holders of a vehicle, close enough that the driver could easily reach it, discovered during a DUI checkpoint, provides enough reasonable suspicion for the officer to investigate further and ensure that the driver is not intoxicated. I understand your points, but you have to understand the police officer has a job to do as well. He didn't question you because he didn't like the shirt you had on.

Furthermore, and this doesn't have to do with the original post necessarily but rather general grievances towards police, but it is extremely annoying how all of a sudden anyone that thinks their "rights" have been violated suddenly becomes a Harvard educated civil rights attorney in the blink of an eye.

 

[GoingPostal]

[YOUTUBE]m9-R8T1SuG4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[D Quintero]

I transport all kinds of singles :smile: and naturally cuphold them enroute ...
rollIng up on a DUI checkpoint ? common sense dictates i cover those bad boys
pronto . help the cause, get the nod, and have a nice day .

 

[smokinghole]

I am not sorry for not being an obedient little sheep. I did not know it was a check point until they were in plain view. I first thought it was an accident because of the fire dept presence. So being in the checkpoint I wasn't about to get shifty and hide shit.

I get what you guys are saying. If I conformed more to societal norms and was more "behaved" nothing would have happened. I will go through this again and again if i haive to.

Oh and in PA they don't get special tax breaks on liquor. So a lot of bars and restaurants pick up on their own. Its not far fetched where I live.


So with that said just like you guys tell me I could have been less " in their face" about having beer in the car, but I will continue to find issue with unnecessary shit like I had experienced Friday.

I guess a few here like living with a militarized police presence in their lives. I don't, thats for sure. I didn't have a them vs. us mentality, but the more I experience these small municipal forces the more i think they feel its them vs. everyone else.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

 

[11is1louder]

I guess a few here like living with a militarized police presence in their lives.

Just curious, but was there a SWAT team with armored personnel carriers and a helicopter overhead, or were they just regular uniformed cops?

 

[Hoshneer]

Well this debate is probably one of those that is more of a political debate. I don't see a problem with the police doing there job but in my eyes they shouldn't have been looking in his car in the first place.

Yes, if he was pulled over for an infraction and they saw he had unopened beer in the cup holder than I believe he should of been checked. Being stopped for no reason and being questioned and checked is ridiculous in my eyes. I have been through proper checkpoints. The police in my town do not stop you they just park on the side of the road in town and get a look at you at the stop light. At the most you might get a flashlight pointed at your car. This to me is more of a reasonable checkpoint.

I am more of a libertarian though so that may be why I believe these things. As far as having a degree in law to figure out my rights. This is Murica, I shouldn't need a degree to know whether I have a right or not. Its not supposed to be blurred to the point where it's confusing. I do understand though what you guys are saying.

Long live Carlin!!!!

 

[smokinghole]

I guess a few here like living with a militarized police presence in their lives.

Just curious, but was there a SWAT team with armored personnel carriers and a helicopter overhead, or were they just regular uniformed cops?

Yeah they had an Apache pointed at me hovering at the tree line:hammersma. I'm talking a militarized police force in general, captain literal.

 

[icehog3]

A more effective way to keep drunks off the street they would set up twitter or facebook pages and have people post when they see suspected drunk drivers

So the police departments would have to monitor Facebook or Twitter 24/7 for DUI reports? Don't see that happening.

people who like to walk the fine line and constantly challenge laws get no sympathy from me.

Furthermore, and this doesn't have to do with the original post necessarily but rather general grievances towards police, but it is extremely annoying how all of a sudden anyone that thinks their "rights" have been violated suddenly becomes a Harvard educated civil rights attorney in the blink of an eye.

Especially valid in this case.....driving is actually a privilege, and not a "right", under the laws of most every state.

 

[sean]

They area using some people in academia to facilitate the social media monitoring... Its coming. Don't worry.

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[icehog3]

They area using some people in academia to facilitate the social media monitoring... Its coming. Don't worry.

Sober guy pisses off another guy at the bar. Pissed guy tweets him out as a drunk driver. Sober guy gets pulled over. Think he will complain about his rights being violated? You bet.

 

[GoingPostal]

Unless a person is suspicious of doing something wrong they should be left alone. It would be easier and tax payers would spend less money if the police would just sit on the road and look for people that are driving erratic.

Its just my opinion but as an American I feel that the police have no business stopping me unless I am under suspicion. I believe this area is a slippery slope of my rights and it just plain shouldn't be happening. Not only this but it gives an officer an excuse to abuse those rights when he wasn't able to be here before.

I can guarantee that if I had my handgun on my seat I would of been asked to step out of my car as well. I know this because this has happened to me. Everyone here does have a valid opinion though and I do understand where they are coming from.

I hear ya and agree with you but sadly as a minority in this country you get used to police pulling you over and checking your car cause "you fit a description" or "reports of a suspicious vehicle in the area" So the idea of sobriety checkpoints isn't that big a deal. Had he been a minority they would of checked the knife and he would of been arrested. Not trying to pull the race card but untill the american people wake up shit like this is just going to be a fact of life.

 

[YodisMatt]

I don't know, its been I would say 5 years since I have actually been through a checkpoint so I guess that's why I don't really find them bad and have never been hassled by going through one. Even in my street racing days with a car loud as hell they just waved my through.

Oh and in PA they don't get special tax breaks on liquor. So a lot of bars and restaurants pick up on their own. Its not far fetched where I live.

Also just a side note I wasn't implying they get a tax break, actually they get taxed more then a normal person buying liquor. Since we have friends that own some bars and clubs we thought for our wedding we could buy the liquor and beer through them to save cash when they brought it to our attention that they pay more then us and going to Total Wine would actually save us a good amount more then using them.

Another fun fact I believe in CT your passengers can drink all they want if I am remembering correctly from when an Ex lived up there.

 

[11is1louder]

I guess a few here like living with a militarized police presence in their lives.

Just curious, but was there a SWAT team with armored personnel carriers and a helicopter overhead, or were they just regular uniformed cops?

Yeah they had an Apache pointed at me hovering at the tree line:hammersma. I'm talking a militarized police force in general, captain literal.

Your the one who brought up a "militarized police force". A strong uniformed police presence, with enough staff to effectively and safely control a DUI checkpoint where 100's of cars probably passed through and probably a few arrests made is hardly "militarized". There are plenty of stories about local law enforcement going above and beyond what is necessary and really showing their strength and cool black uniforms and hemet's, but even without me being there I think it's safe to say this wasn't one of those cases.

If there was a murder that just occurred in my neighborhood and I was walking down the street and matched the exact description of the suspect, say white shoes jeans and a blue jacket, and was stopped and questioned by the police, were my "rights" violated? No, they were not. Is wearing white shoes jeans and a blue jacket against the law? No it is not. But the police had enough reasonable suspicion to stop me and make sure I had not committed any crime. Now in your case, is driving with closed beer bottles in the front of your vehicle against the law? No it is not. While at a DUI checkpoint did the police have enough reasonable suspicion to ask you questions and make sure you had not committed any crimes ( ex: driving under the influence) , yes they did. Is giving you a field sobriety test one way of ensuring you had not broken a law (driving while under the influence), yes it it. I understand this encounter left you with a bad taste in your mouth, but it was perfectly within their legal boundary to handle the situation the way they did.

 

[Mediumrarechicken]

Just think if you like in LA you wouldn't have been stopped, they have places where you can get strawberry daurris in a drive through.

 

[11is1louder]

Also +1 on the George Carlin bit, he's was amazing for sure.

 

[Cigary43]

Checkpoints are "supposed" to serve as a deterrent for those who are out and about where alcohol is served....and then for them to think about driving under the influence. This comes under the heading of Police being overly vigorous in their pursuit of doing their jobs which is a mandate from the Admins........whether it be to fill the city coffers or for it to be of something relevant because there is a complaint filed and the Dept. is addressing the issue. What we view as a PIA might be something that works in a particular area where DWI are esp. problematic. Skip ahead to the idea that the checkpoints are put up merely to make money for the city...it happens for sure and to say that it seldom happens makes all of us liars. Overzealous Police Depts tend to have a history of this kind of behavior and it's up to the citizens to complain loud enough to fix the problem...the squeaky wheel theory.

For those who are law abiding I can see where it can become a nuisance esp. if you're ever caught in one and you get a Policeman who wants to use his badge as an excuse to turn his aggression towards an innocent person as I have had this done a few times in my 59 years. We live in an imperfect world....things like this ARE going to happen just like bad things happen to good people everyday and one of the reasons we have Policemen is to Protect and Serve the Communities. With todays technology available I would make it a plan to ensure that I minimize anything that is going to make me even more noticeable when it comes to Law Enforcement. Even though citizens are able to get C/C permits that doesn't mean we need to carry them around like it's Dodge City. If you have a job that requires you to carry around a lot of cash or things of value I can see the risk of carrying but c'mon...let's be honest here for a minute...most of the permits are from those who just like the fact they can carry a firearm which might make them feel more secure for whatever reason they think they need it. Why is it necessary for any person to carry their firearm into the local restaurant...why is it necessary for one to bring a firearm into a bar where it's becoming more legal to do so...the whole idea of carrying a firearm because it's legal to do so makes absolutely no sense just because you can get a permit.

 

[Phillsl]

Checkpoints are "supposed" to serve as a deterrent for those who are out and about where alcohol is served....and then for them to think about driving under the influence. This comes under the heading of Police being overly vigorous in their pursuit of doing their jobs which is a mandate from the Admins........whether it be to fill the city coffers or for it to be of something relevant because there is a complaint filed and the Dept. is addressing the issue. What we view as a PIA might be something that works in a particular area where DWI are esp. problematic. Skip ahead to the idea that the checkpoints are put up merely to make money for the city...it happens for sure and to say that it seldom happens makes all of us liars. Overzealous Police Depts tend to have a history of this kind of behavior and it's up to the citizens to complain loud enough to fix the problem...the squeaky wheel theory.

For those who are law abiding I can see where it can become a nuisance esp. if you're ever caught in one and you get a Policeman who wants to use his badge as an excuse to turn his aggression towards an innocent person as I have had this done a few times in my 59 years. We live in an imperfect world....things like this ARE going to happen just like bad things happen to good people everyday and one of the reasons we have Policemen is to Protect and Serve the Communities. With todays technology available I would make it a plan to ensure that I minimize anything that is going to make me even more noticeable when it comes to Law Enforcement. Even though citizens are able to get C/C permits that doesn't mean we need to carry them around like it's Dodge City. If you have a job that requires you to carry around a lot of cash or things of value I can see the risk of carrying but c'mon...let's be honest here for a minute...most of the permits are from those who just like the fact they can carry a firearm which might make them feel more secure for whatever reason they think they need it. Why is it necessary for any person to carry their firearm into the local restaurant...why is it necessary for one to bring a firearm into a bar where it's becoming more legal to do so...the whole idea of carrying a firearm because it's legal to do so makes absolutely no sense just because you can get a permit.

You make some valid points, however, if you do not exercise your rights, then before you know it they won't be rights anymore.

 

[Hoshneer]

I can also understand your point but most people with permits don't carry in a bar. I do however carry because I can. That's just the way I was raised. It may be hard for some people to understand but this is an important right to me and frankly it has saved my butt a few times since I started carrying when I was 18.

Yes, some police abuse there power and 99.9% are very good men. The one thing they cannot help is that it always takes them a couple minutes to get to you. In that time a lot can happen.

 

[Mediumrarechicken]

Checkpoints are "supposed" to serve as a deterrent for those who are out and about where alcohol is served....and then for them to think about driving under the influence. This comes under the heading of Police being overly vigorous in their pursuit of doing their jobs which is a mandate from the Admins........whether it be to fill the city coffers or for it to be of something relevant because there is a complaint filed and the Dept. is addressing the issue. What we view as a PIA might be something that works in a particular area where DWI are esp. problematic. Skip ahead to the idea that the checkpoints are put up merely to make money for the city...it happens for sure and to say that it seldom happens makes all of us liars. Overzealous Police Depts tend to have a history of this kind of behavior and it's up to the citizens to complain loud enough to fix the problem...the squeaky wheel theory.

For those who are law abiding I can see where it can become a nuisance esp. if you're ever caught in one and you get a Policeman who wants to use his badge as an excuse to turn his aggression towards an innocent person as I have had this done a few times in my 59 years. We live in an imperfect world....things like this ARE going to happen just like bad things happen to good people everyday and one of the reasons we have Policemen is to Protect and Serve the Communities. With todays technology available I would make it a plan to ensure that I minimize anything that is going to make me even more noticeable when it comes to Law Enforcement. Even though citizens are able to get C/C permits that doesn't mean we need to carry them around like it's Dodge City. If you have a job that requires you to carry around a lot of cash or things of value I can see the risk of carrying but c'mon...let's be honest here for a minute...most of the permits are from those who just like the fact they can carry a firearm which might make them feel more secure for whatever reason they think they need it. Why is it necessary for any person to carry their firearm into the local restaurant...why is it necessary for one to bring a firearm into a bar where it's becoming more legal to do so...the whole idea of carrying a firearm because it's legal to do so makes absolutely no sense just because you can get a permit.

i carry a gun because I can't carry a cop. It must be nice to live in a utopia where one can walk around and think that nothing will or can happen to them. I was in the Tacoma mall when Dom Maldonado(I actually knew the guy) shot the place up, I saw him with the gun he was 75 yards in front of me. He was walking with his back to me I could have ingaged him. I feel like shit that I didn't carry that day, luckily no one died. That burden would have been huge. Besides I have a family to protect. I hope that one day god forbid something happens that someone will try to protect you and your family for you. Sorry if this came off as being harsh I don't intend for it to come across that way.