Local news indicates that Riverside police will set up a DUI checkpoint somewhere in the city tonight between 6:00 pm and 12:00 am. The location of the checkpoint was not announced, but officers said they will check drivers for signs of intoxication as they pass through the sobriety check. Drivers must also demonstrate that they are properly licensed to drive. Motorists arrested for drunk driving may face license suspension, fines, DUI courses, and incarceration.
DUI Checkpoints are upheld by the California state constitution and the federal constitution. More than 2,500 sobriety checkpoints occur in California every year. In some states, though, state government does not have the authority to set up DUI checkpoints. Alaskan state government, for instance, does not have the authority to set up DUI sobriety checkpoints.
In other states, DUI checkpoints are completely illegal. DUI sobriety checkpoints are considered illegal under Idaho state law. Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon state constitutions outlaw checkpoints as well. In Texas, DUI checkpoints are illegal under the Texas interpretation of federal law. DUI checkpoints are illegal through a State Supreme Court decision in Rhode Island and illegal without authorization in Washington.
Each state has different regulations that determine the frequency of DUI checkpoints too. While California executes more than 2,500 checkpoints each year, other states only conduct several hundred per year. Delaware conducts monthly sobriety checkpoints from January to June. The number of statewide DUI checkpoints increases between July and December.
If you were arrested for drunk driving at a sobriety checkpoint in Riverside, California, contact The Law Offices of Thomas Wallin. With a skilled DUI defense attorney on your side of the courtroom, you can stand the best possible chance of a favorable case outcome. Call today!
(888) 444-7210