Update.

Police roadblocks to remove unlicensed drivers challenged

From wire service reports

A controversial police technique to remove unlicensed drivers from the roads is being challenged on civil rights grounds, and another federal court decision is expected soon, it was reported today.

Police across California are using temporary roadblocks to find unlicensed drivers, and impound their cars. But Latino rights groups say that practice is discriminatory and aimed at undocumented workers, who are unable to pay for their cars' steep impound fees.


Los Angeles and Orange counties have joined several other agencies in supporting a state law that requires cars driven by unlicensed or uninsured motorists to be impounded on the spot, and towed to a storage yard.

Three civil rights law firms have sued several agencies, including the City of Los Angeles, for impounding cars owned by illegal aliens, who are barred by state law from getting drivers licenses. The suit claims that Latinos are being singled out in an unconstitutional, sweeping move that violates constitutional protections against unreasonable police conduct against all persons, not just U.S. citizens.

``We've heard a lot of complaints from the Latino community,'' said Bill Flores, a San Diego County Latino organizer, in an interview with the Oceanside North County Times. He noted that the impound fees of $1,500 must be added to towing and administrative fees that can go above another $400.

The groups argue that the cars should be parked safely and the motorists cited, so the cases can be heard in court. Some licensed drivers have lost their cars when they could not find their insurance documents at the roadblocks, or if they lent the car to an unlicensed driver, and could not afford to get them out of impound.

But the government attorneys argue that state law is aimed at protecting the public by removing the cars driven by unlicensed, uninsured drivers from the streets immediately.

The state law, they said in court documents, is an extension of police powers to keep the roads free of unlicensed and uninsured drivers.


But recent decisions by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have prompted a statewide association of police chiefs to warn its members that impounding cars merely because the driver is unlicensed is an unconstitutional seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.




USER COMMENTS ( 5 of 180 total | view all )
"Californian"
California is controld by Mexicans. The rest of the country gave up on us in the 70's. There will never be another Los Angeles Mayor that does not speak Spanish and the governor will be next. Without the support from the rest of the nation we will be lost. I have lived here all my life and love the area, I just hate the people. There are little pockets of Americans left but right now my house is in the middle of millions of Hispanics that have no interest or need to learn English. It will take the nation to save us from this violence, corruption and illiteracy.
- haddit
posted: Tuesday, July 24th at 7:03 AM


"Only Citizens can be prosecuted"
It is amazing that police have used road blocks for years and the courts have upheld the use of them. But once an ILLEGAL ALIEN is caught up in one, then by god it is unconstitutional. Only citizens can be prosecuted for stealing/forging ID's, stealing SS#, lying on I9 forms and driving without license or insurance. Maybe we need to demand the same rights as ILLEGAL ALIENS from the courts and government. Get free health care, pay no taxes and freedom from laws of the land.
- Ron posted: Tuesday, July 24th at 7:01 AM


"A step further"
inpound the car and use the money to deport them. period.
- martin
posted: Tuesday, July 24th at 6:51 AM





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