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REPORT SUGGESTS THAT MONTEBELLO IS CASHING IN ON CALIFORNIA DUI CHECKPOINTS

POSTED BY THOMAS V. WALLIN || 4-MAY-2011

In a recent article, California Watch highlighted how Montebello may be using California DUI checkpoints to cure a budget shortfall.

As the article suggests, Montebello is facing a host of financial problems, including fraud allegations by the state and a full audit by the California state controller.

When state regulators examine the city’s books, California Watch claims “vehicle seizures will certainly be part of the mix.”

Here is what California Watch found when they examined Montebello’s DUI checkpoints:

• In Los Angeles County, the city of Montebello requires its tow operator to increase its cut of impound revenue when the police department seizes a higher volume of cars. Tow company Helms and Hill Inc. pays Montebello $200 per tow when officers order more than 151 cars hauled away each month, the city’s finance records show.
• Montebello’s DUI checkpoints rank among California’s least effective at getting drunks off the road. Last year, officers there failed to conduct a single field sobriety test at three of the city’s five roadway operations, state records show.
• Montebello collected upward of $95,000 during the last fiscal year from checkpoints, including grant money for police overtime.

The growing evidence of checkpoint abuse suggests that it may be time for California to reconsider its use of DUI checkpoints in terms of how they address both drunk driving and undocumented drivers.

To learn more about California DUI checkpoint laws, please visit our OC DUI Checkpoints website.

In addition, if you or someone you know has been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in California at a California DUI checkpoint, contact our California DUI attorneys today.