DUI Checkpoints
updated: Feb 02, 2013, 8:23 AM

By SBPD

The Santa Barbara Police Department will be conducting DUI Checkpoints in the City of Santa Barbara on the following dates and times. Driver's licenses will be checked at these checkpoints.

Saturday February 2, 2013 6 pm to 2 am

The Santa Barbara Police Department encourages everyone to drink responsibly, pre-arrange for a ride home, designate a driver and understand that every officer will be diligently looking for the impaired driver. Additionally, DUI enforcement officers will be on patrol throughout the weekend and we would prefer to arrest the DUI driver than to find them in a collision.

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

Additionally, we encourage everyone to report the suspected impaired driver by calling "911." Doing so could save the life of a loved one. Don't drink and drive!

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 370418P	2013-02-03 07:25 AM
Just curious..... Does anyone know why they announce these ahead of time instead of just surprising people?
RHS	2013-02-03 10:40 AM
When the US Supreme Court approved this sort of unwarranted search they required that some notice be given. Silly compromise with the Constitution in my opinion as it creates a system in which "process" is more important than substance. But these notices are supposed to be provided in a timely manner. Seems like this one may be a bit tardy?
COMMENT 370479	2013-02-03 11:48 AM
The checkpoints are also supposed to be set up such that you can avoid them. But, the cops always cheat this aspect - I've never seen one where you weren't forced to continue through one after you first see it. SCOTUS decided that the threat to public safety posed by drunk drivers is more important than your constitutional right to not be subjected to unwarranted stops and searches.
RHS	2013-02-03 01:20 PM
Even worse, 479, is that if the police see you attempting to avoid the roadblock they treat this as evidence of criminal conduct and thus use it to justify detention. It's a catch-22 with you the loser. Implicit in your observation about the reported danger of dui is the truth that we ignore much more dangerous behavior in our country every day--e.g., the spread of firearms, the lack of proper health care, approval of corrupted food supplies, refusal to clean our waters.

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