Corvallis Newspaper against DUII Roadblocks on Oregon Roads
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
In a Gazette Times editorial this week, the Corvallis paper opposed a Senate Bill that would allow police to set up DUII roadblocks in Oregon. Currently, Oregon is one of 12 states that do not set up DUII checkpoints, despite the authority granted by the 1990 US Supreme Court decision.
In the other 38 states, police departments announce the location of DUI roadblocks well in advance, and choose highly visible areas to reduce the risk of traffic accidents. At the DUII checkpoints, police funnel vehicles through the checkpoint and stop random vehicles to investigate for DUI violations.
In the editorial, the Times states “…we trust Oregon voters might just be fed up enough to reject amending the Constitution to clear the way for random DUII roadblocks…Our objections go to cost and effectiveness of the idea, its potential for abuse and the infringement on the rights of honest citizens to travel uninterrupted.”