Posted on 12/28/2007 7:07:11 PM PST by elkfersupper
More Texas jurisdictions are turning to forced blood draws to convict those suspected of DUI.
Jurisdictions within Texas are expanding programs where police use force to draw blood from motorists accused of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Last week, El Paso announced it had joined Harris and Wilson Counties in a "no refusal" program specifically designed to streamline the blood drawing process.
It works as follows. An accused motorist is arrested and taken downtown. While being videotaped, he will be asked to submit to a breathalyzer test with officers specifically avoiding any mention that blood will be taken by force if the often inaccurate breathalyzer test is refused.
During key holiday weekends, a pre-assigned judge who agreed to wait by the phone will approve search warrants created from pre-written templates -- often within just thirty minutes. With warrant in hand, a nurse whose salary is often paid by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) will draw blood while police officers exert the required level of force. In some cases, this use of force can cause permanent damage. Montague, Archer and Clay counties have similar programs except that these departments do away with the nurse and have police officers perform the blood draw themselves, despite a state law banning the practice (view law).
Two of the twelve motorists subjected to the first blood draws in Harris County on Memorial Day weekend this year were later found to have blood alcohol levels below the .08 limit. The program will return on New Year's Eve.
Well, you know, poverty is a depressing thing.
I bet thousands and thousands of people kill themselves every year simply because they’re poor.
We can stop all of those deaths! We can end the carnage!
Just have the Government give each poor person $100,000 a year, and think of the lives that’ll be saved.
In fact, they can start with me.
Just DON’T try and take my blood.
Yeah, and the reason that I have this inner ear problem that was discussed earlier is a result of a sudden and total deafness caused by a medicine I was given. Am I here whining about the pharmeceutical industry and calling for the removal of the rights to prescribe certain medicines. NO!
/Salute and God Bless
I think the chief's a big fat liar. The numbers have been dropping regularly each year and 1K is about 1 full years worth.TX stats link.
The lack of parents to discipline their children could easily be attributed to their reckless endangerment.
“If I have to do or give up one more thing “for the children”, I’m going to start throttling the little trolls myself.”
W.C. Fields, is that you?
Of course, there is no study that can show the relative statistics compared to what WOULD happen if the officers were out searching for people with probably cause...
I get your point.
I’m 100% against random check points... but, common sense tells me... if they’re done enough, they would work. At least, in the small area where applied. If they stop everyone on every street... drunk driving will definitely decrease. ALL driving will decrease!
I just happen to believe that checkpoints are
1) not cost effective, and
2) unconstitutional.
What do they do when they encounter people who are hard sticks? I don’t think I would appreciate an untrained person rooting around (or digging as the patients like to call it) in my arm with a needle. And there’s also the possibility they might hemolyze it and get a bad result.
Well said!
Why don’t you go down there daily and have them draw blood from you just in case you are driving drunk. I guess you wouldn’t have any problem with that now would ya?
So if a car with two drinker passengers and one sober designated driver gets into an accident, that is counted as alcohol-related even though alcohol played ZERO ROLE. WHAT BS!
Me too. I can’t believe being stuck by a needle can be forced upon a person under a circumstance that doesn’t involve stopping the spread of something contagious.
We had that book when I was a kid! Ha!
I thought we loved pro-drunk driving mooses here on FR.
Nah....
I’ve been calling him that forever.
On many threads.
He can’t - He won’t deny it.
I'm not in favor of having to do this either. But year after year during these holidays in TX people are given phone numbers to call, cabs take them free, even the police will take you home after you have been drinking. But people refuse to do it and too many people die here. I don't think the numbers are fake, I live here and see it. What other solution do you have to protect the innocent who are just driving home with their families?
Lack of responsibility by those that choose to drive drunk at 80 mph down the wrong side of the freeway tends to give the media their sensationalism and then the lawmakers do their standard knee-jerk reaction.
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