Proposal to Make DUI Checkpoints Illegal
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Two Democratic House lawmakers have introduced a bill that would outlaw roadside police checkpoints used to identify drunken drivers. Representative Charlene Lima is the bill's prime sponsor. She says the checkpoints violate people's civil rights, and (quote) "smack of a police state."
Law enforcement agencies defend the practice, citing the state's high alcohol-related deaths. Police checkpoints have been illegal in Rhode Island since a court ruling in 1989 that they violate search-and-seizure provisions in the state Constitution. The U-S Constitution allows them.
Attorney General Patrick Lynch wants the state Supreme Court to revisit the ban. Governor Carcieri has not decided whether to approach the court. His spokesman says he's working with state police on possible other solutions.
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