Sobriety checkpoints and DUI roadblocks are increasingly used to enforce DUI laws. The courts have found that if the police follow specific guidelines, a systematic checkpoint is constitutional. The police must follow certain roadblock guidelines and respect your individual rights.

If the guidelines set out by the courts are not followed, then the DUI arrest may be invalid. You should discuss with your attorney the process that you underwent regarding the arrest: from the initial stop, up until the arrest and Miranda Warnings.

What guidelines are there?

The United States Supreme Court case Michigan v. Sitz established many of the guidelines that police officers must follow in a roadblock or DUI checkpoint. Pennsylvania has established a number of other cases which largely follow these guidelines.

• The police may not choose vehicles at random: The officers conducting the checkpoint musty have a pre-established neutral mathematical formula for which cars to stop. For example, officers may determine ahead of time that they will stop only every third car. This prevents potential discrimination by stopping individuals based on appearance.
• Checkpoints must be established to ensure safety of police and the drivers: The roadblock must be highly visible to ensure time for stopping or slowing down to a safe speed. The roadblock must also be done in a way that minimizes the amount of time each driver is at a checkpoint.
• You may turn around prior to the checkpoint: So long as you do not break any traffic laws or regulations, you have the right to turn around and take a different prior to being stopped at the checkpoint. That is, if you can turn off one block ahead of the actual checkpoint, you may do so to avoid the sobriety check.
• The stop may not last long enough to constitute an unreasonable seizure of the person without reasonable suspicion: when a driver is stopped, the initial interaction with police may last only long enough to ask a few questions and determine reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion may include slurred speech, an odor of alcohol, glassy or bloodshot eyes. If the officer cannot cite reasonable suspicion within that brief initial meeting, the driver should be allowed to leave.
• Sobriety Checkpoints and DUI Roadblocks are only permitted if they are planned and a part of an on-going safe driving program and the checkpoint follows established protocol: You should discuss with your attorney whether the protocol was established and if so whether a judge or a representative from the district attorney’s office participated in it.

The Supreme Court deemed that a car stopped at a roadblock is a seizure, but, if the purpose of the roadblock is to ensure the safety of all drivers, and the interaction is brief, then the seizure is not unreasonable. Sobriety Checkpoints are not meant to identify criminal behavior and are considered a part of regulatory law, not criminal law.

What are your rights?

As an individual faced with a Sobriety Checkpoint or a DUI Roadblock, you have certain rights. Your rights fall mainly under the Fourth Amendment, the right against unreasonable search and seizure. The government may not intrude beyond the point of a reasonable seizure.

A Sobriety Checkpoint must meet five criteria:

1. Vehicle stops must be brief and may not entail a physical search
2. There  must be sufficient warning of the stop prior to arrival and you have the right to avoid the DUI stop if you may do so lawfully
3. Decisions for the checkpoint, time, conduct, etc. are subject to prior administrative approval
4. Timing and placement of the checkpoint must be based on experience as to when and where intoxicated drivers have been found previously
5. Decisions as to which vehicle to stop must be predetermined and is not to be left to officer discretion.

Knowing these rights ahead of time can help you when faced with a Sobriety Checkpoint or DUI Roadblock. If you believe that your rights have been violated, or that you have a challenge to the roadblock, please contact our office today for a free consultation.