Anonymous
Source: City of Goleta
The Goleta Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, March 6th, 2020, at an undisclosed location within the city of Goleta between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
DUI Checkpoints like this one are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing.
The Goleta Police Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.
In 2017, 1,120 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes on California roads. Last year, the Goleta Police Department investigated 31 DUI collisions which resulted in 9 people suffering injuries.
The Goleta Police Department offers these reminders to ensure you have a safe night of fun that doesn’t involve a DUI:
- Always use a designated sober driver – a friend who is not drinking, ride-share, cab or public transportation – to get home.
- See someone who is clearly impaired try and drive? Take the keys and help them make other arrangements to find a sober way home.
- Report drunk drivers – Call 911.
- Hosting a party? Offer nonalcoholic drinks. Monitor who are drinking and how they are getting home.
Getting home safely is cheap, but getting a DUI is not! Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be upwards of $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time.
Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Goleta Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.
How much liberty are you willing to trade away for “higher public good”? We could save countless lives and catch vast numbers of criminals if we suspended the bill of rights in its entirety. I would be surprised if this checkpoint saves a single life, or even catches a single drunk driver. However, I bet they will find a number or people whose papers are not in order…
How about a Homeless camp checkpoint instead.
These checkpoints are blatantly unconstitutional. The fourth amendment states: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” I call upon all law enforcement officers to follow the oath they swore to uphold the constitution by refusing to work at these illegal checkpoints. I would also encourage everyone to make sure your papers are in order in case you are subjected to a warrantless search.