The U.S. Department of Transportation has cut its funding for Pennsylvania DUI programs by nearly 1/3 this year which could reduce the number of roving patrols and DUI checkpoints in PA.
Police: Budget cuts could imperil DUI checkpoint program
The U.S. Department of Transportation cut its funding of Pennsylvania drunken-driving enforcement programs by a third this year. State officials, in turn, cut the number of DUI checkpoints and patrols — raising concerns about what might come next.
The system had been working.
State troopers arrested 17,695 drivers for DUI in 2010. That was 5 percent more than in the year before.
It set a record, and it extended a trend: Pennsylvania State Police made a record number of DUI arrests in each of the previous eight years.
The number of alcohol-related crashes decreased over the same period.
Police say the checkpoints are a key factor in that.
The government has been shoving DUI checkpoints down our throats for years with the justification that it stops drunk drivers and saves lives. Is saving lives no longer a priority in 2011?
The fact of the matter is, that DUI checkpoints are all about money and police officers making more money (overtime). These checkpoints don’t work. In most Pennsylvania DUI checkpoints, the number of people arrested for DUI versus those inconvenienced is less than 1% and we don’t know of that 1% how many were falsely arrested. Police will always toot their own horns by citing increasing arrest numbers. However, along with these increasing arrests are increasing numbers of people who were falsely arrested. How come the police only report arrest numbers and never tell us the whole story by telling us how many of those arrested were actually found guilty?
Justin McShane
PA DUI attorney Justin J. McShane is the President/CEO of The McShane Firm, LLC - Pennsylvania's top criminal law and DUI law firm. He is the highest rated DUI attorney in PA as rated by Avvo.com. Justin McShane is a double Board certified attorney. He is the first and so far the only Pennsylvania attorney to achieve American Bar Association recognized board certification in DUI defense from the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. He is also a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approved Agency.