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Our Orange County DUI Lawyers have learned that the Orange County Sheriffs Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint in the City of San Juan Capistrano on Friday, September 23, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. The checkpoints are part of a grant the Sheriffs Department received from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and are set up to target drivers who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and / or driving a vehicle without a drivers license.

DUI Checkpoints are not especially helpful in apprehending persons driving under the influence, but can be an especially lucrative operation for law enforcement agencies, which catch and impound unlicensed drivers (impound fees for 30-60 days can run into thousands), and receive money in funds from the Federal and State governments, and MADD, which typically pay for officer overtime.

If you need a DUI Specialist Orange County, call our firm at (877) 568-2977, anytime.  And be careful out there.

Related articles

• Orange County DUI Checkpoint Locations: Costa Mesa (ocduiblog.com)
• Orange County DUI Checkpoints – Newport Beach (ocduiblog.com)
• 4 arrested in San Juan Capistrano jewelry robbery (abclocal.go.com)

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Our Long Beach DUI Lawyers have learned that the Long Beach Police Department intends a DUI checkpoint on September 3, 2011 (this upcoming Saturday evening).

the Press Release sent out by the Media Relations Officer of the Long Beach Police Department confirms that they will be conducting a Driving Under the Influence – Driver License Checkpoint on Saturday, September 3, 2011, from 6:00 p.m., until 2:00 a.m. Sunday, September 4, 2011. This checkpoint will be held in the western section of the city.

DUI Checkpoints are a significant source of revenue for police departments, from grants, MADD contributions, and money from vehicle impounds, even if they are statistically not a good method of apprehending people driving drunk.  If you have any questions for our Long Beach DUI Attorneys, call us, toll free, at (877) 568-2977.

Related articles

• Orange County DUI Checkpoint Locations August 26-27 2011 (ocduiblog.com)
• DUI Checkpoint in Irvine: 505 cars, one arrest (ocduiblog.com)
• Orange County DUI Checkpoints: (ocduiblog.com)

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The Irvine Police Department arrested two people on suspicion of driving under the influence and issued 10 citations during a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint Friday night at Campus Drive and Bridge Road, Lt. Henry Boggs said.

Officers stopped 545 vehicles and conducted nine sobriety tests as part of the project, which including state and federal funding and was staffed by sworn police officers, professional staff and community volunteers.

An Orange County Register article on the DUi checkpoint cited Mothers Against Drunk Driving, saying that they estimated that communities consistently using sobriety checkpoints experience as much as eight times the reduction in DUI incidents as communities that use roving patrols alone.  This statistic is cited in a 2005 webpage from MADD Orange County, with no supporting studies, statistics, or mention that Laguna Beach has severely cutting, almost eliminating, the ineffective checkpoints.

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Our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers have learned that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint in the City of Lake Forest on Friday, February 11, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.

DUI checkpoints are not a very effective  enforcement tool in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, but provide substantial funding from federal and state funds, and contributions from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).  UC Berkeley found that impound fees earned by police agencies from 30 day or longer impounds can provide substantial income to law enforcement.

Officers will be checking drivers through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and or drug impairment and may conduct a field sobriety test.  For those that fail, expect that jail, vehicle storage fees, license suspension, insurance rate increases, along with fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

In 2010, all 8 of the officers on the DUI enforcement team made at least 100 DUI arrests that year.  If you have questions for our Orange County DUI Lawyers, contact us at the firm, toll free, at (877) 568-2977

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As a DUI Specialist Orange County, I get information on DUI Checkpoints, and I’ve learned that the Costa Mesa Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, February 12, 2011, on Newport Boulevard at Flower Street between the hours of  7:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. DUI checkpoints are not a very effective  enforcement tool in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, but provide substantial funding from federal and state funds, and contributions from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).  UC Berkeley found that impound fees earned by police agencies from 30 day or longer impounds can provide substantial income to law enforcement.

Officers will be checking drivers through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and or drug impairment and may conduct a field sobriety test.  For those that fail, expect that jail, vehicle storage fees, license suspension, insurance rate increases, along with fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

In 2010, all 8 of the officers on the DUI enforcement team made at least 100 DUI arrests that year.  If you have questions for our Orange County DUI Lawyers, contact us at the firm, toll free, at (877) 568-2977

The Victorville Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, April 30th, 2010, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the City of Victorville.  DUI checkpoints are not an effective way of finding and arresting persons driving under the influence, but they can be a huge source of cash for police with federal funding, MADD money, and impound fees.

If you have questions about DUI in San Bernardino County, call our Rancho Cucamonga DUI Lawyers, at (877) 568-2977, toll free, anytime.

A new program in Hawaii aimed at reducing DUI arrests has been halted for further review.

The Honolulu Police Department launched a pilot program that posted the mug shots and names of DUI suspects online once a week. They hoped the extra attention on the arrests would discourage other potential drunk drivers.

This pilot program has been halted, however, to undergo a review by the Honolulu Police Department.

The Traffic Division operated the web site, which was initially intended to run for six months but made it only four. It started the day before Thanksgiving in 2009.

Every Wednesday for those four months, the photos and names of DUI suspects were posted for 24 hours on a page called “Oahu’s Drunk Drivers,” according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Critics of the program stated that it was unconstitutional to post these photos online because it could infringe on the suspects’ right to a fair trial.

Laurie Temple, an attorney for the ACLU of Hawaii, noted that innocent people are sometimes arrested, and that photos posted online could be around forever even if the HPD site only posted them for a limited time. She said that the proliferation of the photos on social media sites like Facebook has validated the concern that these photos will live on long after they aren’t posted on “Oahu’s Drunk Drivers.”

HPD spokesperson Michelle Yu said that HPD did not close down the site as a result of these concerns, though they were aware of the re-posting issue. She said that they had received both positive and negative comments about the site.

The web project will now be reviewed by HPD officials, which was the result of an administrative decision. No photos will be posted during the review process.

One individual on Facebook started a page devoted to re-posting images, so that they were available indefinitely, rather than for the HPD’s 24-hour period. The page had over 10,000 fans. The person who started it, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed she started the page in order to raise awareness of DUI after a friend was killed in an accident in which her boyfriend had been driving under the influence of alcohol.

The executive director of MADD in Hawaii assured the public that though the web site would go down, police would still be out on the streets arresting people for DUI and conducting DUI checkpoints.  It’s a good thing that this doesn’t exist for Los Angeles DUI or Orange County DUI cases… yet.

Related articles

• Cops Post Mug Shots of DUI Suspects (abcnews.go.com)
• Random roadside breath testing may soon be on the way (canada.com)
• DUI Checkpoints in Hollywood & Santa Monica Tonight (laist.com)

Our Criminal Attorneys Riverside were notified of a nearby DUI checkpoint:  The Escondido Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, January 30, 2010, from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM, in the City of Escondido.

A DUI checkpoint not is a proven effective method for achieving this goal, but the Escondido police department obtains substantial federal funding and money and volunteers from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) for putting on the checkpoint.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs – Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest. The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Related articles

• Drunk Driving Declines, Drugged Driving Doesn’t (blogs.thecarconnection.com)
• Cops Post Mug Shots of DUI Suspects (abcnews.go.com)
• New MADD-style group advocates for cell-free motoring (autoblog.com)
• DOT bars commercial drivers from texting (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

The Lake Elsinore Police Department Targets Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint, brought to you by the Rancho Cucamonga Criminal Defense Attorneys at expertlawfirm.com.

The Lake Elsinore Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Saturday, January 30th. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.

All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.

A DUI checkpoint is not a proven-effective method for achieving this goal, but police get money from the Federal Government (and MADD) to promote checkpoints. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, The Lake Elsinore Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested.

Related articles:

• DUI Checkpoint Tonight in North Hollywood (laist.com)
• Impaired drivers blowing higher figures: police (cbc.ca)
• DUI Checkpoint Tonight at Fairfax and Melrose (laist.com)

Our Orange County DUI Lawyers found a press release by the Irvine Police Department regarding their a DUI/sobriety checkpoint during the evening hours on Saturday December 19, 2009. The checkpoint was located at Irvine Center Drive and Hubble in the City of Irvine. As part of the California Holiday DUI Crackdown Campaign, the purpose of the checkpoint was to deter impaired driving and hold accountable those driving under the influence.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) helped sponsor and provide support to these checkpoints. According to MADD, in one survey, 79% of the public approved of sobriety checkpoints.

Funding for the special enforcement campaign, December 16, 2009 through January 3, 2010 came from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This checkpoint was staffed by sworn officers and professional staff from the Irvine Police Department, and by MADD volunteers.

Look at these numbers:

Vehicles Stopped      Sobriety Tests      DUI Arrests      Citations Issued      Vehicles Towed

347                                          4                     ZERO (0)                     14                                               5

347 vehicles and drivers (not to mention other passengers) inconvenienced, traffic delayed, for zero arrests?  For 14 traffic tickets to be issued?  As I’ve said so many times, DUI checkpoints are a waste of time, and aren’t even as effective as the more useful saturation patrols.  But still, based upon MADD pressure and federal money, they persist.

I often get the argument, “but Robert, if even one drunk driver is taken off the road…”, an argument that has its own logical fallacy, but in this case, as with many others, what if not even one drunk driver is taken off the road?

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