Thread: ESCONDIDO, CA : New traffic safety checkpoints begin

New traffic safety checkpoints begin

16 vehicles impounded, two people arrested during operation

By EDWARD SIFUENTES - esifuentes@nctimes.com
Posted: July 13, 2010 9:43 pm

Escondido police impounded more than a dozen vehicles Tuesday, leaving drivers ---- including several families with children ---- without transportation in a first-of-its-kind checkpoint for the city.

Most of the people whose vehicles were impounded appeared to be Latinos; some said they did not have a license because they were in the country illegally.

Police set up a downtown roadblock along North Escondido Boulevard near Woodward Avenue to check driver's licenses, vehicle registration and insurance starting at 10 a.m. It was the first time police have held the so-called traffic safety checkpoints, which replaced the department's oft-criticized driver's license checkpoints.

For several years, police conducted checkpoints solely to check people's driver's licenses in what they said was an effort to curb the city's high number of hit-and-run crashes.

Since 2004, checkpoints have reduced the number of hit-and-run crashes by about 35 percent, according to the Police Department.

Late last year, the department changed the checkpoint format to include questions about vehicle registration and insurance after groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union said the driver's-license-only checkpoints were illegal.

The ACLU and the North County-based El Grupo, an umbrella civil rights organization, argued that it was illegal under state law to stop drivers just to check their licenses. Police agreed to change their checkpoints to avoid a legal fight.

"We disagree with the ACLU, but rather than argue that through litigation, it was easier to resolve their concern," Chief Jim Maher said during Tuesday's checkpoint.

The roadblock at times created a quarter-mile-long backup during the four-hour operation. Officers stopped four vehicles at a time on the road's two northbound lanes to check for documents and look for motorists not wearing seat belts or children who were improperly restrained.

Each stop lasted about 30 seconds.

Drivers who did not have their documents on hand were routed to the parking lot north of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, for a second inspection. Those drivers who were able to produce the documents were allowed to leave.

In all, 1,141 vehicles drove through the checkpoint, said Lt. Tom Albergo. Of those, 388 were inspected and 55 were sent to the secondary inspection, he said.

Sixteen vehicles were impounded and 27 citations were issued, Albergo said. Of the citations, 16 were for driving with no license. Three people were driving with suspended licenses, and six had no vehicle insurance, Albergo said.

Two people were arrested for outstanding deportation orders and were turned over to immigration authorities, Albergo said. Six people whose child safety seats were not properly fastened had the seats reinstalled by officers, the lieutenant said.

State law does not allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses.

"It's not right, because I have kids that I need to take to the doctor," said Ana, a Ramona woman who declined to give her last name because she is in the country illegally.

The woman was carrying her 18-month-old son, whom she said she was taking to the doctor.

Juan Manuel Lopez of Escondido, a U.S. citizen, said it was unfair to take people's vehicles away when they had no legal means to apply for a license. The state did not require proof of legal status to apply for licenses until the mid-1990s.

"It's a disaster, and it didn't used to be this way," Lopez said. "We are not asking for a handout, we are here to work."

Lopez arrived at the checkpoint to pick up a woman whose car was impounded because she did not have a license. The vehicle, he said, was registered under his name because the woman was in the country illegally.

For some of the drivers whose vehicles were impounded, the cars were more than just a means of transportation.

"They are taking away everything," said Maria Lopez of Escondido, who used her truck to carry cleaning equipment that she used as a housekeeper. Lopez said she was about to take her driver's license test before she was stopped.

Lopez and her assistant unloaded mops, buckets and soap out of the back of the little truck before it was loaded into the back of a tow truck.

The owners will have to pay about $1,500 in towing, storage and administrative fees before they can have their vehicles returned.

Maher said the department would study the results of the checkpoint to see whether any changes were needed. He said the department plans to conduct one or two of the traffic safety checkpoints a month.

During the operation, officers handed out fliers explaining why they were conducting the checkpoints. The city ranks sixth from the bottom in overall traffic safety among other California cities of a similar size, according to the department's flier.

Victor Torres, a spokesman for El Grupo, said the checkpoints were a "waste of time."

Call staff writer Edward Sifuentes at 760-740-3511.


NORTH COUNTY TIMES

Lopez arrived at the checkpoint to pick up a woman whose car was impounded because she did not have a license. The vehicle, he said, was registered under his name because the woman was in the country illegally.

This Lopez is breaking our immigration laws, but that is ok, he is one of the protected ones.

"It's not right, because I have kids that I need to take to the doctor," said Ana, a Ramona woman who declined to give her last name because she is in the country illegally.

It's not right that Ana is endangering American citizens and legal immigrants by driving without a license and insurance.

"It's a disaster, and it didn't used to be this way," Lopez said. "We are not asking for a handout, we are here to work."

Hey, I have a bridge in Death Valley to sell. If you're not here to ask for a handout, then get out of line at the food banks and the food stamp agency, get your kids out of school and stay away from our hospitals.

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

"It's not right, because I have kids that I need to take to the doctor," said Ana, a Ramona woman who declined to give her last name because she is in the country illegally.

It's not right that Ana is endangering American citizens and legal immigrants by driving without a license and insurance.


[quote:1mkmzy2y]"It's a disaster, and it didn't used to be this way," Lopez said. "We are not asking for a handout, we are here to work."

Hey, I have a bridge in Death Valley to sell. If you're not here to ask for a handout, then get out of line at the food banks and the food stamp agency, get your kids out of school and stay away from our hospitals.[/quote:1mkmzy2y]

dito!

"It's not right, because I have kids that I need to take to the doctor," said Ana, a Ramona woman who declined to give her last name because she is in the country illegally

.

It's not right that you're here in our country illegally! Go home!

"It's not right, because I have kids that I need to take to the doctor," said Ana, a Ramona woman who declined to give her last name because she is in the country illegally.

Who's paying the Doctor?

sweet! just like the 70's. border patrol was all over so cal.and the LEO have every right to make sure the roads are safe. think they are looking for arizona aliens fleeing the 1070 law? and no illegals cant get DL's in cali, THATS WHY AHNOLD IS THE GOVENOR. gray davis said he was gonna let aliens drive, and got RECALLED. those police auctions are gonna be full of great deals!