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Alaska DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks

 

DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks are a popular technique used by law enforcements in various states of the country to reduce the number of drunk drivers and catch drivers that are deemed to be driving under the influence.

 

DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks are thought to be an invasion of privacy by many people because the police officers can stop your vehicles, ask you to step out and even search your car. Due to the fact that police officers don’t have search warrants, a number of DUI attorneys and victims to DUI security checkpoints argue that these searches are unwarranted and should be illegal. However, in the case of Michigan vs. Sitz, the Supreme Court of USA ruled that properly conducted DUI roadblocks are not unconstitutional because the number of lives and injuries that are avoided because of these roadblocks are worth the inconveniences faced by drivers. .

 

As of April 2011, twelve of the states have opted not to conduct DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks. This is because of certain legal issues surrounding the usage of DUI checkpoints in these states; certain states have laws that restrict DUI checkpoints to an extent. Other states explicitly forbid DUI checkpoints and roadblocks to be conducted within their jurisdiction while some states are completely silent on the issue. .

 

Alaska is one of the states that have opted not to have DUI checkpoints and roadblocks conducted mainly because they don’t have any legal authority to decide the matter. Other states that don’t have DUI roadblocks due to certain reasons include: .

 

  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Texas
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

 

Police officers at DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks may ask drivers at random to stop and submit to DUI testing which is why people consider it to be a violation of their freedom and privacy. For this reason, states like Montana have forbidden DUI checkpoints while others have modified their DUI laws and added specific exceptions in conducting DUI checkpoints that would not be an infringement on the driver’s privacy.

 

States like Alaska have a number of other DUI rules and programs to deter drunk driving and apprehend those that are caught while driving under the influence. One such program is the Alaska Strategic Traffic Enforcement Partnership (ASTEP) which is dedicated to increase the concentration of law enforcement in various areas to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road.

 

Interestingly, a number of states do have DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks but they allow drivers to make a U-turn and avoid having to go through the roadblock while in most of the other states, it is mandatory to go through the DUI checkpoint once they have entered the vicinity. Some states use a neutral formula to stop cars or they follow a specific pattern to render the search partially random, sometimes they can detect a drunk driver even before they ask them to stop. Once the cars have been stopped, the police officers can use a number of techniques to see if the person is sufficiently impaired, these include having them submit to a breathalyzer test or perform physical DUI sobriety tests.

 

States also have restrictions on DUI security checkpoints and roadblocks which revolve around the length of time that any particular car is detained and the length of time that any roadblock can be active on that particular street. Most of the time, DUI security checkpoints are active in some part of the night when the incidence of drunk driving is most common. For drivers in any particular state, it is very important to know what the rules on DUI checkpoints are and in what ways they are conducted in order to avoid the feeling of nervousness and surprise that most drivers deal with.

 

Even though, most people associated with law and justice agree that DUI checkpoints are an effective way to catch drunk drivers or at least reduce the incidence of drunk driving, but due to the controversy of the issue and the differing ways in which DUI checkpoints are conducted, the debate on whether it is constitutional or not is still underway.


 

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