Law enforcement in America has quickly become a financially motivated endeavor.  With town budgets being slashed it has become an important source of income.  It’s a money grab.

Even though it costs much, much less to conduct a roving patrol, police get huge amounts of money to run inefficient DUI checkpoints.  Take a look at a recent article from Montgomery County, PA:

Supervisors Approve $52,992 DUI Grant Application

Montgomery Township Supervisors last week approved the submission of a DUI grant application for $59,992, which will boost funding for equipment and aid officers who are a part of the Montgomery Township Regional DUI Task Force.

Montgomery Township Acting Chief Scott Bendig said the grant is a continuation of DUI grants from previous years.

“This grant includes funding for equipment and overtime for officers to conduct DUI enforcement activities, including DUI checkpoints and DUI roving patrols,” Bendig told the board.

Supervisors Chairman Candyce Chimera asked how likely the department is to get the grant.

“We’ve done very well,” Bendig said. “This grant is actually going to be $6 less than we had last year. It looks pretty good in comparison to other DUI task force grants. We do very well. It’s very successful and we are very proactive and very fortunate.”

According to the application, the task force plans overtime for one officer at four hours at $69 an hour for 32 roving DUI patrols, at a total overtime cost of $8,832.

Low-staffing sobriety checkpoints are estimated at 14 officers for five hours at $69 an hour, for eight checkpoint events, for a total overtime amount of $38,640, according to the application.

Policing for a profit is becoming an increasing problem for the general public.  From red light cameras to speed traps to DUI checkpoints, tickets and arrests are being made and are motivated by money not by public safety.  With these financial incentives polluting the purity that should be the basis for law enforcement, chances are high that false arrest and corruption will soon follow.  In many cases, it already has.

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.