Thread: CA-Sobriety checkpoint set for San Rafael Canal area

Sobriety checkpoint set for San Rafael Canal area
Mark Prado
Article Launched: 08/20/2008 04:14:17 PM PDT


San Rafael police are planning another sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday near the Canal neighborhood.
The checkpoint program has been criticized by Canal leaders, who say the stops unfairly target illegal immigrants.

This week's checkpoint in planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday at Andersen Drive and Gary Place, near the Marin Square shopping center.

"The community wants drunk drivers and those without licenses off the road, but it is being targeted unfairly," said Jim Geraghty, co-chairman of the Marin Immigrant Rights Coalition. "Beyond that, the program is not even effective in directly getting drunk drivers off the road."

A July 17 interoffice memo from city attorneys and police to the San Rafael City Council and city manager states: "The primary purpose of the checkpoints is not to cite or arrest individuals, but instead is aimed at education and deterrence. Accordingly, the city's experience that the checkpoints do not dramatically impact the statistics on arrests is unsurprising and consistent with the pattern in other jurisdictions."

Some community members have called on the City Council to examine the fairness of the checkpoints in the immigrant-heavy Canal neighborhood. Others have thrown their support behind the program, saying the laws should apply to everyone, everywhere.

San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said the Canal is not being targeted.

"We have moved them around," she said of the checkpoints. "We have

another one to do and that will be in Terra Linda."
Friday's checkpoint, which was planned some time ago, is one of three that must be held before Sept. 30, the end of the grant cycle, police said.

The checkpoints are funded by a $378,000 selective traffic enforcement grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety. The council is expected to consider renewing the grant later this year.

Contact Mark Prado via e-mail at mprado@marinij.com


http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_10256664

This I never understand. Why announce a sobriety checkpoint in the first place. As I may have mentioned before, does the DEA call a drug house announcing the time and date of their raid?

What I don't understand is how it is unfair, every person that drives down that strech of road gets checked out the SAME!! No more no less!!!