Marin DUI Attorney - DUI Checkpoint in Marin this Weekend

 Posted on November 24, 2010 in DUI

The San Rafael Police Department has scheduled another DUI and driver's license checkpoint in Marin County for this Wednesday, November 24th from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. It will start on Freitas Parkway at Las Gallinas Avenue but will probably move to Irwin Street at Fifth Avenue later in the evening.

This law enforcement activity is funded by a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

My Comments: I am not opposed to enforcement of the vehicle code and reasonable efforts to keep our community safe, but I am troubled by the warrantless detention of people without even probable cause to believe a violation of the law has been committed.

These “checkpoint" detentions involve uniformed police officers stopping citizens in the middle of the night and asking them where they have been and where they are going, and demanding identification (i.e., let me see your papers!). The mere odor of alcohol on your breath, though perfectly legal, prompts these officers to order you out of your car with a “request" that you perform coordination exercises on the side of the road. It’s supposedly just a request, but failure to adhere to it results in your immediate arrest for alleged suspicion of driving under the influence!

If you have been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, call me today at (415) 453-0534 to schedule a consultation about your case. I am not just a criminal defense lawyer specializing in DUI defense, I am a defender of constitutional rights and will fight to save your license, record, and reputation!