Not playing devil's advocate here, just curious.
From the article: "See, for example, DUI Roadblock: 1131 Stops, 114 Tickets, 0 DUI Arrests, Another "Successful" DUI Roadblock: 3000 Drivers Stopped, 0 DUIs."
Has happened before (other states) where cops would toss a baggie in a car then arrest the driver ... in Missouri the state cops were stopping people with Conservative bumper stickers or anti-Obama stickers ....
If you never do, then you will never get arrested, so what's the worry?
Are there any instances of innocent and totally sober people failing these tests and having property taken?
That might be interesting to find out, but it wouldn't matter in terms of this "goldmine" technique that is being used. It's obviously a "subterfuge" by police to "rake in the dough" for all sorts of other things.
And it sounds quite typical for the police and cities and their governments to do those sorts of things.
There is a 25% falure rate of teh roadside exercises. (you can’t call them tests) The horozontal gaze nystagmus is routinely striken and excluded from evidence because it is so easily manipulated. Open air “sensors” are easily confused with diesel fumes and other solvents. (ie new car smells)
DUI is a HUGE money maker.
also the stop has to be posted and if you see the stop and u turn and drive away the police have chase vehicles to catch you.
It wouldn't be surprising if it did happen, would it?
I was stopped at one of these 'sobriety checkpoints' in Mass, and it truly is an affront to everything I was raised to believe as an American. It was hard to take while holding my tongue. The state police had their checkpoint, swarming with cops, as though they were looking for a high ranking terrorist, or whatever. They slowed traffic to a grinding trickle. When it was my turn to be interrogated by the trooper, I rolled my window down and this man who gets paid to "protect and serve" me, stuck his face into the car, inches from my own, and asked be if I'd been drinking, etc, etc. This "protector and server" of the citizenry then smelled my breath as I answered his Inquisition. "Have you been drinking tonight sir? "No". "Where you coming from sir"? I didn't reply to this. His face was so close to mine that I thought maybe he was a homosexual looking for a date. I looked to my right, saw a least five troopers standing around wasting our tax dollars, and there was some sort of a "sobriety trailor" they had set up to take people inside and test them if they failed the 'smell test'.
Is this the American way of our fathers and forefathers? Is this the type of government the Founders instituted? Is this the sort of activity that my father fought for in WWII, or that I fought for in VN? Or that our troops fight for today in Iraq and Afghanistan? We all know the answer to this is "no", yet we continue to lose our freedoms faster than Barney Frank can drop his trousers in the corner of some smelly men's room.
>Are there any instances of innocent and totally sober people failing these tests and having property taken?
Not playing devil’s advocate here, just curious.<
I myself do not agree with the statutory limit of intoxication. People have been arrested for being “over the limit” based almost solely upon an “alcosensor”. They may have passed their field sobriety tests but have “blown” something above what is considered “impaired”. Yet to arrest on that is ridiculous IMO. Now when someone falls down getting out of the car, can’t follow simple directions. Find their license and hand you their library card instead .. well now we are talking about another animal.
DUI is now a fungible term of art.
If the Revenue Enhancement Officer you attract is convinced you are "impaired to the slightest degree", that is a DUI. Even if you have no alcohol or other drugs in your system, you still get to go through the drill.
The only message is DO NOT ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.