Posted on 06/10/2013 3:32:45 PM PDT by Bodleian_Girl
PELL CITY, Alabama -- St. Clair and Bibb county authorities are confirming there were roadblocks at several locations in their counties Friday and Saturday asking for blood and DNA samples. However, the samples were voluntary and motorists were paid for them as part of a study, they said.
According to Lt. Freddie Turrentine of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, it isn't the first time such roadblocks have occurred in the area.
"They were here in 2007," said Turrentine, the supervisor in charge of the roadblocks, which took place in several locations in St. Clair County Friday night, early Saturday morning and Saturday night and early Sunday morning. "It's just with social media and Facebook now, word of it has just exploded."
Turrentine said the roadblocks were part of a study conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, working with the National Highway Safety Administration. St. Clair County was asked to participate by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs because it had worked with the group six years ago.
Sheriff Keith Hannah in Bibb County said they too had previously participated in the study.
Here's how the road blocks worked, Turrentine said:
Off-duty St. Clair County deputies stopped cars at random at road block areas. The road blocks were marked with signs stating it was a paid survey. Cars stopped were asked for voluntary cooperation. Drivers were offered $10 for a mouth swab, and $50 for a blood test. If they refused, they were free to drive away.
[ POLL: Would you voluntarily submit DNA, blood sample for government study at roadblock? ]
Road blocks took place Friday at the New London Fire Department, Alabama 34 in Pell City near the old Dan's Car Wash, U.S. 231 at Alabama 144, at White's Chapel Parkway and Moody Crossroads in Moody. In Bibb County, the road blocks took place in five areas in the county on Friday night through early Sunday morning.
If drivers participated, they were directed to an area where someone from the group carrying out the study took the samples, he said.
"It was completely voluntary," Turrentine said, saying reports that people were detained if they did not cooperate were untrue. "If they didn't want to take part, they could drive off."
The samples were anonymous, he said.
Poll: Would you voluntarily submit DNA, blood sample for government study at roadblock?
"They were taking the samples in other parts of the country," he said. "They want to find out of all the people surveyed, how many people were driving with alcohol in their system, or prescription drugs, things like that."
This will be the only time this year the survey takes place in St. Clair County, he said.
Turrentine, who was at one of the roadblocks, said the group carrying out the study would ask for a certain number of volunteers. Deputies would stop drivers until that number of drivers needed agreed to the survey. Then they let cars pass while the samples were taken.
"We would have a lot who didn't want to take part, especially at night," he said. "But then we'd have a few that when we'd tell they could make $60 bucks, they said, 'What do I need to do?'"
If you were stopped in one of the roadblocks, or took part, and would like to talk, email eastalabama@al.com.
The field of conservatism here is pretty wide ranging from libertarianism to statism. I wouldn’t read too far into opposing opinions concerning law enforcement.
If this makes no sense, see the following:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3029610/posts?page=24#24
Well sure I do.
But you have been calling me that for a little more than a month and like the 1st time it seems inexplicable.
But, everyone needs a hobby .
.guess yours is being irascible and down right disagreeable
Fine, I have a problem with government imposed speed limits. It restricts my right to travel at the speed I deem to be safe. Unfortunately, there are just some impositions that we have to tolerate or we can contact our representatives to bring change or file a lawsuit. It does little good to bitch about it on a political forum and accuse people of being TROLLS, like some of the juvenile CTs here.
Your posts are argumentative and of questionable match to the usual tenor on this forum. Please report to the admin moderator for a voluntary - mind you, voluntary - DNA swab to match your DNA to the traces of troll DNA you have left all over the place.
About six years ago, in the community where I grew up as a kid...they had one cop in town. The guy had created this volunteer cop group, and they got all hyped up and were doing random road-blocks in a town of 250 people. For the first ten to twenty occasions, it just irritated everyone. Then someone did the research and found that if the town’s cop wasn’t with them, then it wasn’t a legit roadblock. This just hyped the volunteers even more. It took about six months for the community to finally say enough, and terminate the policeman, and the volunteer group.
The whole problem with so-called conservatives is that unlike liberals who always band together, we fracture and pick up our marbles and go home if we don’t get our way. Witness the last national election.
Exactly how many times have I addressed a post to you? When was the first?
One of my clients is a criminal lawyer.
He recently had to defend a woman in court for her passing through a WalMart parking lot to “avoid a traffic signal”.
I didn’t even KNOW that was illegal!
What if she made a snap decision not to go shopping after all, and so drove through the parking lot without parking.
Now we have to stop and park, and shop, or else we are committing a criminal act?
What if you didn’t WANT to stop at a roadblock and give a swab or a sample?
Would it have been a traffic violation?
The whole problem with so-called conservatives is that unlike liberals who always band together, we fracture and pick up our marbles and go home if we don’t get our way. Witness the last national election.
____________________________________________________________
WTF ?
The more Outlandish-ed the request, the more fishing they get.
Standard response should be “Am I under Arrest?, Am I being Detained? May I Leave now?)
I’m seriously thinking about getting my own Dash Cam
TT
PS and for posterity, once leaving the checkpoint say FUBO so the NSA can hear it on your Cell Phone.
Did anyone take the initiative and question the town mayor, assembly or police chief?
Did anyone take the initiative and question the town mayor, assembly or police chief?
You have to do some real mental gymnastics to get from being stopped by government agents in your travels to having your speed regulated, especially where there is, in fact, a compelling public safety rationale for having speed limits. You just made my point for me.
Unfortunately, there are just some impositions that we have to tolerate or we can contact our representatives to bring change or file a lawsuit.
What you're saying here is unbelievable. You must not give two sh*ts about Liberty to say something like this.
You nailed it - you are a fracturer extraordinaire troll. Trolls such as you are only here to fracture the forum and add nothing of value. We really don't care a fig about your destructive banter.
Why would anyone volunteer to do this?
If they are paying money for the samples, what will be done with the samples?
“The whole problem with so-called conservatives is that unlike liberals who always band together, we fracture and pick up our marbles and go home if we don’t get our way. Witness the last national election.”
Aside from not knowing where that came from, he is talking about, “so-called conservatives” and “liberals who always band together”, is this another tell, Zeneta?
And exactly what is it telling us, in your words.
Is he telling us, HE IS A TROLL?
The Democrat voters’ greatest strength is their mindless allegiance to a common cause. We don’t do that very well.
Everywhere? There are straight stretches of highways with little traffic and cars that will travel safely at 120 or more mph.
there is, in fact, a compelling public safety rationale for having speed limits.
Is there a compelling public safety rationale for having roadblocks? Yes or no?
What you're saying here is unbelievable
So when are you going to storm the US capitol and remove all the vermin?
I just don’t understand why they use a controlled test in a lab with people drinking alcohol.
The reason is too bizarre and makes no sense at all.
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