BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- A constitutional amendment allowing law enforcement to establish sobriety checkpoints was given a public hearing Monday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
While the bill, proposed by Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, was given this public hearing, it has not been scheduled to receive a work session and thus is not likely to leave the committee.
Traffic safety activists and Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD) supported the bill, saying that sobriety checkpoints could save more than 20 lives per year that otherwise would be taken by people driving while intoxicated.
However, citizens and lobbyists from ACLU and other organizations opposed the bill, claiming it is not only a waste of the state’s resources but also would infringe on citizens’ right to privacy.
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It will be interesting to see if this bill passes, the stats on where the checkpoints are conducted and who is arrested, this could be used as a tool to profile the poor and minorities.
I honestly see this as a waste of time and money. Yes people need to stop drinking and driving, but really? Checkpoints? I could see this in certain places at certain times of the year but if they were up all the time I see it as a waste of tax payers money. There are other things that the money could be spent on. Like maybe the Oregon schools? Thats just a thought.
YEAH!!! I fully support the checkpoints. I do not want to die by a drunk driver. Checkpoints catch the ones who could be the next drunk killer of a family, possibly yours. I fully support the amendment. If you are driving fine what do you have to worry about? That the cops might find out you have too much dope or are driving stoned????? BTW driving stoned can kill too, buddy.
Of course!! As a matter of fact, let’s just go all the way, and give the cops the right to grab you off the street, drag you to an inspection center, squirt sodium pentothal into your veins, and interrogate you at random whenever a crime has been committed somewhere, too!!
I mean, after all, if you’re behaving fine, what do you have to worry about, right?
Yeah… Go for it…
“YEAH!!!” As a matter of fact, let’s just go all the way, and give the cops the right to grab you off the street at random, drag you to an inspection center, squirt sodium pentothal into your veins, and interrogate you whenever a crime has been committed somewhere, too!!
I mean, after all, if you’re behaving fine, what do you have to worry about?