We were coming back from Carlsbad to Roswell, sunday night around 6:30, topped a hill outside of Artesia and saw a roadblock.
There must have been 20 to 30 Officers from various agencies setting up.
Now I'm not a fan of these checkpoints, I was amazed at the amount of man power that was concentrated in 50 yards of road and not out on patrol.
What I do want to make clear,is that the Officers at that checkpoint were polite and professional, I just find this type of deployment detrimental, to over all enforcement and of unconstitutional.
oops
Should have been .....I find this type of deployment, detrimental to enforcement and of course unconstitutional.
There are pros and cons to DWI checkpoints. They do stop everyone and no profiling so they are legal. On the other hand it is definitely guilty until proven innocent. And if you have an opportunity to exit the highway before reaching the checkpoint, you used to be stopped though recently they have ruled that police can not stop you if you turn before reaching the area. My personal policy is to avoid large concentrations of flashing red lights. I suggest that one turn far enough in advance so as not to arouse suspicion.
Nothing wrong with posting your thoughts on that. I work professionally in a field where roadway safety is one of my single primary concerns, and I have long said that roadside checkpoints for drunk drivers have no place in America.