Do Sobriety Checkpoints Really Work?
In York County, Pa., Ted Czech of the York Daily
Record reports on the local version of a battle playing out in law enforcement
agencies across the country: What is the most effective way to intercept drunk
drivers during "high risk" periods, such as the 4th of July Weekend?
Wayne Harper, director of the York County Center for Traffic
Safety, points to a recent press release issued by the American Beverage
Institute for a good summation of one side of the argument. According to the ABI, DUI checkpoints
are ineffective and costly.
ABI stated in a release: "[DUI checkpoints] target moderate drinkers instead of the
root cause of today’s drunk driving problem – hard core alcohol abusers."
According to Harper, the ABI is out of its league.
"It’s very unfortunate that an organization like this, that
knows very little about traffic safety, feels a need to comment on it," said Harper to the press. "What if I sent out a news release [declaring
that] bars should stop serving alcohol after 11 o’clock?"
George Geisler, director of the Pennsylvania DUI
Association’s eastern office, points out that DUI checkpoints are just one
method of DUI enforcement. The other
three common methods are roving police patrols, mobile awareness patrols (which
are essentially scarecrows, giving the appearance of a sobriety checkpoint) and
a program that places police officers close to liquor stores to monitor who is
buying what and for whom.
The ABI cites California statistics in its press release,
stating that in 2008, one million vehicles passed through checkpoints and only
one third of 1% of drivers were arrested for driving under the
influence.
Geisler says that in Pennsylvania, 220,000 drivers passed
through DUI checkpoints during the same time period, and 1% of drivers
were charged with DUI, and another 2.5% of drivers received a citation
of some other type.
The problem with the
ABI position, according to Geisler, is that it examines the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints only from the perspective of alcohol consumption. Geisler says he has arrested numerous
violators at these checkpoints for driving under the influence of a number of
nonalcoholic substances, including prescription drugs.
Wayne Harper says that sobriety checkpoints are intended to
cast a wide net over potential violators. In his opinion, roving patrols do not generate nearly as many arrests
and citations. He believes that the effectiveness of the DUI checkpoint as a deterrent
should be considered when calculating its value.
"It causes people to be aware of the fact that law
enforcement is out there and gives them the fear of arrest," Geisler says. They sometimes encourage individuals to make
different choices. He believes that news
of police setting up sobriety checkpoints – highly visible and often mentioned
on news broadcasts, has an impact at the bar scene.
"Compare that to a roving patrol – does anybody really know
we’re out there? Is it a deterrent? No."
Harper provides his final analysis of checkpoint
effectiveness with an anecdote. On one
occasion, as he set up a checkpoint with a group of officers, a car pulled over
and a man got out of his car and approached the officers. "All right, you got me."
Source: York
Daily Record
