Give officers a new tool

The following editorial appeared Jan. 11 in the Olympian.

One of the hot topics of the 2008 Legislature will be the proposal to give law enforcement officers the ability to set up sobriety checkpoints as a means of getting drunken drivers off the roadway.

Civil libertarians, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, have vowed to oppose the proposal, claiming the plan would violate the state’s strong protections against “suspicionless searches.” The state Supreme Court threw out Seattle’s checkpoints 20 years ago.

The challenge for Democrats, who have strong majorities in both the House and Senate, is to craft a checkpoint law that can withstand constitutional muster.

Gov. Chris Gregoire came out in support of checkpoints a week ago and will have her legislation sponsored by Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Lantz said, “We have to do all that we can to prevent the tragedies that drunk drivers cause in our communities. This is just one more tool I believe we should put into our toolbox.”

Lantz and Gregoire are right. Sobriety checkpoints are the norm in 39 states. Law enforcement officers need all of the tools they can get to keep the motoring public safe from drunken drivers.

Sobriety checkpoints are set up along most roadways with warning signs clearly posted. Law enforcement officers stop vehicles in a specific sequence, such as every other vehicle or every fourth, fifth or sixth vehicle. The officers evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Officers must have a reason to believe a stopped driver has been drinking before a breath test can be conducted. Well-conducted sobriety checkpoints generally delay drivers for no more than 30 seconds.

The governor’s proposal would require law enforcement officers to get a checkpoint warrant from the local Superior Court judge after giving the judge a plan for a specific location and specific time period. The checkpoints would be in areas that are known for frequent alcohol- and drug-related collisions.

Statistics show that checkpoints work. Fom Mothers Against Drunk Driving:

“Sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. Researchers for the Centers for Disease Control show crash and fatality reductions from 18 percent to 24 percent.

“Sobriety checkpoints are a powerful deterrent to drinking and driving, especially when well publicized. Eighty percent of Americans say sobriety checkpoints would discourage them from drinking and driving.

“Generally, about 85 percent to 90 percent of Americans support sobriety checkpoints. Sixty-two percent of Americans want sobriety checkpoints to be used more often.

According to MADD, in 2005, there were 43,433 total traffic fatalities nationally and of those, 12,945 involved a driver with a blood-alcohol reading above the 0.08 limit.

Sobriety checkpoints are a law enforcement tool supported by the public and missing from this state’s arsenal of weapons against the scourge of drunken driving. Lawmakers should respond accordingly.