Enough said, eh?
Posted on 10/01/2007 6:37:03 PM PDT by elkfersupper
TAMPA - Had a few drinks before getting behind the wheel?
Think again. That harmless-looking minivan in the rearview mirror might be the neighbors on patrol.
That's how Mothers Against Drunk Driving pitched its latest plan to get impaired drivers off the roads.
Called the Traffic Observation Program, the pilot program is slated to begin in Hillsborough County and may become a statewide initiative, according to Don Murray, Florida's executive director for MADD.
The plan: Recruit 20 volunteers armed with donated cell phones and send them out in the middle of the night to watch for telltale signs of drunk drivers.
MADD has worked closely with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, so Murray suggested to other MADD members that the pilot program begin here.
Murray envisions a program that will pair up community members who are willing to go through a screening process, including a criminal background check and an interview to ensure that those going out on the streets have proper training and experience.
He wanted to make it clear that volunteers will not be acting like law enforcement.
"This isn't like a vigilante program," he said. "They won't be attempting to stop or in any way interacting with these vehicles. They're basically just observers."
Volunteers will go out in teams. They will drive their own vehicles and take GPS equipment, so they'll be able to find their way through unfamiliar areas for two to four hours of searching, Murray said. They'll be told ahead of time of the sometimes-subtle clues for drunk drivers, such as driving under the speed limit or lingering too long at a green light, Murray said.
"We certainly don't want our observers to be calling erroneous reports in," he said.
If participants spot a suspicious driver, they will jot down the license plate, a vehicle description and a location and notify the Sheriff's Office. It's up to the deputy to check out the vehicle to determine whether an arrest is appropriate, Murray said.
The program was Murray's idea, he said, inspired by worries of what potential budget cuts could do to law enforcement's DUI teams.
"They'll likely lose officers from the road," he said. "We were looking ahead to try to see what our organization can do."
Hillsborough sheriff's Cpl. Stephen Decatur said the program is just a formalized process for what already happens everyday: People call law enforcement when they see something suspicious.
He praised the idea, but he cautioned that it's vital that volunteers don't try to do the work of law enforcement in apprehending and accusing suspects.
"If anybody's overzealous, if they play outside the guidelines, then they're acting above and beyond just being observers," he said. "We want them to do it in a responsible manner, and it looks like the program is set up to do that."
Tampa police Cpl. Jared Douds had much the same reaction. It sounded like a Neighborhood Watch group for the roadways.
"Obviously anything that's going to get drunk drivers off the road, we're interested in," Douds. "That's certainly a positive for everybody."
I share your misgivings.
The reality is that this is not going to last. MADD will get a credit for a couple of high profile stops and then it will fade. It might be resurrected for New Years Eve etc, but that will be about it. Driving around looking for drunks is about as boring as it gets. Unpaid civilians doing it at their own expense will tire easily.
To address your other concern, remember that the LEO has to make is own observations. The phone report is not probable cause. Early on they may make stops anyway, but after a few invalid ones, that too will cease. A few complaints about meritless stops will hasten that. Nothing LEOs hate more than wasting time and uncessarily pissing off civilians.
This is more a tempest in a teaport looking for media coverage than a real issue.
I volunteer as a COP
Now we all know where you are coming from - ninja land
MADD just needs to make sure they don't do anything other than call.
LOL.. I like that idea.
agreed, thats why leo encouraging it is just a pr game.
My point still holds that leo needs no probable cause other than ANYTHING he might think up on the spot, much less a phone call from a pre-selected group that will get ,at least initially, a quick response.
Lots of those 3rd shifters that never get to meet barney will now have an opportunity, and the dark-thirty paranoia that most leos have during traffic stops will freak alot of them out, setting them up for further 'suspicious' behaviors. ie stuttering, hands shaking etc.
Also, just for the record, I've dropped dime on someone before, guy was weaving completely into oncoming lane of 2 lane hiway, at least 6 near miss head ons that I witnessed, so I have no problem with removing impaired drivers. My problem is defining impaired and the nanny state penalties that arise from consumption of a legal substance...
I'm not normally psychic, but in the near future I see you being pulled over by the cops after being called in by a MADD volunteer.
Driving under the speed limit and taking too long to start off from a green light is just way too suspicious behavior to be ignored! /sarcasm
This MADD stunt is not nearly as intrusive as some of their other crap.
Went to a college football game this weekend. No beer sales in the stadium at all. Who do you suppose had a big hand in that?
hmmm let me guess................
fat old biddies and lifeless dark souled lumps of sour, pastey, blemished flesh with no life, no useful pursuits and too much free time?
Am I close at all?
This appears to be another rat out your neighbor style of program, similar to OheilO’s smoker-hater snitch line.
Uh, those aren't drunks, those are the potheads.
You can lay the blame on rowdy drunks fighting at the games. The people running the concessions certainly aren't doing it to improve their profits. San Diego did the same thing on the beaches...for the same reason.
What you write on the internet never goes away. Enjoy the consequences.
Who cares? Anyone who approves of or participates in this witch hunt will, at some point, get their well-deserved come-uppins. Let the bruises fall where they may.
T'ain't too far off now, is it?
I already enjoy scattering them like a stampede of semi-contained animated cottage cheese by walking through their hangouts with an unlit cigarette.
It's only one small step to turning them in for child abuse, as they frequently have their equally gelatinous progeny with them.
I can't wait until I get to go on patrol
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