DRUG INTERDICTION CHECKPOINT: A NEW WEAPON AGAINST THE DRUGGED DRIVER

As a result of recent Appellate Court decisions, traffic checkpoints for the purpose of detecting drugs are a new weapon against the drug-impaired driver. Generally, under the Fourth Amendment a police office may not stop a vehicle without proper justification. Following decisions from the Supreme Court, six critical factors are outlined for a properly constructed drug interdiction roadblock: the police department has a plan devised by field and supervisory personnel; specific guidelines are clearly spelled out; the plan is adequately disseminated; supervisors oversee the checkpoint; supervisors choose the location for nonarbitrary reasons, including safety; and officers stop all vehicles or apply nondiscretionary criteria to generate random stops. Finally, the checkpoint should minimize the fright of the driver, in that the checkpoint provides notice to the motorist, uniformed officers and marked vehicles, minimal time span for the police-citizen encounter, and specific guidelines.

• Availability:
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• Corporate Authors:

  National Safety Council

  1121 Spring Lake Drive
  Itasca, IL  United States  60143
• Authors:
  • Gilbert, D T
• Publication Date: 1998-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 8-9
• Serial:
  • Traffic Safety (Chicago)
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: National Safety Council
  • ISSN: 0041-0721

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Appeals; Court decisions; Drug use; Guidelines; Impaired drivers; Law enforcement; Plans (Drawings); Police; Police powers; Roadblocks; Supervisors; Traffic safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Plans; Police law enforcement responsibilities
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00751671
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 7 1998 12:00AM