Law enforcement is a money making endeavor.  There really is no doubt about it.  They use buzzwords like “public safety” but their actions and tactics tell a totally different story.

The whole “War on DUI” exposes this fallacy.  Every weekend, police setup patrols targeting areas around popular bars and clubs.  People drive drunk. The police make arrests.  People go to jail. The police look like heroes.

But what if this was handled differently?  What if the police prevented the crime of drunk driving from happening in the first place?  Wouldn’t that make the public safer?  Wouldn’t that be proactive rather than reactive?

A proactive public safety campaign could work like this.  Police setup totally free Portable Breath Tests near clubs and bars.  As patrons come outside police encourage them to take the test BEFORE they ever get in their cars.  If they are above a safe limit, police instruct them to call a cab or get a ride with a sober friend.  The whole crime is averted.  The driver, passengers and the public at large is much safer because that driver did not drive drunk.

It would be a simple yet effective measure right.  But guess what? It won’t happen.  Arrests net money for local departments.  Deterring people from drunk driving would not.

It’s all about the money.  Welcome to Policing for Profit.

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.