7 DUI arrests during KCPD sobriety checkpoint

From KCPD: The Kansas City Missouri Police Department along with Jackson County Deputies conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint on April 10, 2009 from 2300 hours to 0400 hours at 8011E.Truman Rd . Eastbound and Westbound traffic was checked with total of  321 vehicles stopped.

A total number of  7 DUI arrests were made , along with 1 Felony Eluding, 2 Minor in Possession of Alcohol, 1 Possession of Marijuana, 1 State Revoked, 4 Hazardous Moving Violations, 4 other traffic  charges, and 4 KC Warrants.

Comments

[Johnkel]

7 DUI arrests out of 321 vehicles stopped

That's about a 2 percent arrest rate for what you're screening. Does that percentage really meet the threshold for legally excusing the constitutional violations these checkpoints cause?

[Cops are Terrorists]

It's for the children!!! Or some other lame reasoning for these czech points.

[D-man]

because kids are out at 2300-0400

[Drew]

What should be included in these statistics the number of drivers investigated for DWI, as opposed to the . Then, you would have a more telling percentage of their effectiveness. 321 only represents the number of vehicles that went through the checkpoint.

And please spare the constitutional violation rhetoric. DUI checkpoints, whether or not we agree, are constitutional if correctly administered. Period.

[Mikeybackwards]

Theoretically all of the drivers are 'investigated' for DWI. The courts have found that these types of investigations are constitutional, but perhaps the better question would be are they advisable or effective. As was noted approximately 2% of drivers were arrested for suspicion of DWI. Something I would prefer to see is how many people were arrested total, with a breakdown of the reasons for arrest. Far too often, in an attempt to pump up the rational for such stops multiple charges on a single individual are presented in a way that makes it appear that more people are arrested than actually are, thus skewing perception of efficacy.

To use this report as a case in point, how many of the DWI arrests were incidental to arrest on additional charges, i.e. was one of the DWI arrest also involved in the felony fleeing, traffic violation, and KC warrant arrest? Or are we to believe that 24 of the 321 individuals were arrested (arrest rate of 7.4% vs. 2.1%).

I would also like to see a breakdown of how many resources were committed to this stop. If it were 24 with 24 arrests, that would equal a 1 to 1 ratio; whereas 30-40 with 7 arrest would be more than 5 officers for every arrest, a much lower level of effective use of resources.

I doubt we will ever see this level of breakdown, because it would undermine the truism that these types of enforcement actions are the best ways to keep drunks off the road.

[Marvin]

Drew,

Violating the Constitution isn't "rhetoric." The problem with the conduct of our government over the last few decades is that too many people think it is.

[Mikeybackwards]

Marvin,

It is rhetoric inasmuch as the Supreme Court has ruled that the type of DWI checkpoints used here DO NOT violate the constitution. Unless you are willing to come up with a new constitutional argument to present to the SCOTUS to reconsider their prior decision, or work for the amendment of the US Constitution, then it is just rhetoric.

I am very sympathetic to your position, but I also am practical enough to argue from the legal state of affairs as they are, not from the point of how I would like them to be.

[Drew]

Mikey, you make a good point at 1715.

Likely, the four other traffic violations were during the course of the felony eluding. Having worked many checkpoints, I can recall issuing zero traffic citations while someone rolls up on the checkpoint. The city warrants could well have been cleaned up on the eluders. Either way, 7 DUI arrests is better than the average of two or three. Better yet, saturation patrols, as we know, are the most effective.

The only thing I can see that would cause a saturation patrol to cost more than a fraction of a checkpoint would be the amount of strain on the department motor pool. You can carpool to a checkpoint--you can't so much carpool to a one-man unit patrol.

Correctly, the number of drivers arrested, not the number of arrestable/arrested charges would be the best indicator of efficacy.

Thanks for expanding on that for Marvin. And that's not a dig on you, Marvin. I just get tired of citing Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz. While it might give us heartburn, the Supremes have pretty well put that one to bed.

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