Richmond Police Crack Down On Unlicensed Drivers

POSTED: 10:33 am PDT September 23, 2008


Written by George Kiriyama at 3:11AM

Richmond Police say they towed away 18 vehicles Monday night from a driver's license/proof of insurance checkpoint. Officers conducted a checkpoint on Garrard Boulevard near Barrett Avenue between 5 and 6 p.m. Monday.

Richmond police are cracking down on drivers without licenses or proof of insurance because of the many accidents caused by these types of drivers.

Monday morning, police say an undocumented immigrant who was driving without a license or proof of insurance caused an accident in the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street. Officers say the driver's SUV sped through a red light and hit a four door sedan head-on. Two adults and two 4-year old twins in the sedan suffered serious injuries. The SUV then hit a teenage girl in the crosswalk and overturned. The driver was thrown out of the SUV. The teenage girl and the SUV driver were also taken to the hospital.

But some in the community feel driver's license/proof of insurance checkpoints targets Hispanic drivers. They feel police should spend more time cracking down on homicides, stabbings, and drugs.

"You guys are here because you know these people don't have a driver's license!" Sonia Manriquez yelled at police commissioner Chris Tallerico at the checkpoint. "And the tow truck companies are going to make money and the City of Richmond is going to make money this way."

But Tallerico said officers are not stopping drivers because of race.

"Every single car gets stopped," Tallerico said. "Doesn't matter what race you are, it doesn't matter what religion you are. What license plate you have on your car or what kind of car you drive. Everybody's being stopped."



http://www.nbc11.com/news/17539067/detail.html