Check Point in Coarsegold

[Michelle]

at 8:30pm Highway Patrol had there check point to get the drinkers off the roads.. you should of seen the line of cars.. It was huge...couldn't believe it.
Wonder how many they got and all that? The line of cars was all the way past the Motorcycle place and all that....

who else was stuck in that?:stunned:

[Kahlua Kid]

Was coming back from movies at 10:00 p.m. just south of the Shell gas station and Mining Company restaurant - a Sobriety Checkpoint.

They had 4 cars pulled off to the side impounded and one person I saw out taking a sobriety test (pointing to nose).

Now, my question - why do it where you can see the signs that say "Sobriety Checkpoint Ahead" 3 blocks ahead of the checkpoint, police cars with lights flashing ahead, plenty of room to make a U-turn, head into the gas station as a deflection strategy or make a right to head to the Mining Co or Post Office, come back and make a left to avoid them...

I can't believe anyone who had been drinking would try to get through it?

Now, where they need to set up is at the top of Deadwood, no room to flip a U-turn, no lefts or rights allowed... you are stuck going through it. (Once coming back from an evening out in Oakhurst I saw lights at the top of Deadwood, flashing police car lights, and a line of cars stopped - I thought for sure a sobriety checkpoint... but wasn't, was a car accident.)

[SlimeMold]

First off many sobriety checkpoints are posted in the local papers a day or two prior to the actual date of the checkpoint, the information includes date, time and location. Also The checkpoints need areas to pull over the cars when a further test of the driver is necessary and to hold the cars of drivers found to be DUI or lacking drivers licenses or proper registration or insurance. And remember many drivers think that they are able to drive fine after X number of drinks, so they ignore the signs and those drivers who are way beyond the legal limit may very well miss all the warnings. I have also seen checkpoints where LE positon patrol cars to pull over drivers trying to evade the checkpoints by making U-turns or other obvious actions to avoid the checkpoints. Not sure if attempting to evade a checkpoint is punishable or not, I don't wish to find out by evading a checkpoint, also not sure how LE could actually prove you tried to evade, but if you failed the field sobriety, well you are still out of luck.

[Ironhorse]

When I worked for a police department, we usually had a couple of "chase units" set up, out of sight. When someone turned off, those cars stopped them and usually found that the drivers were drunk or had warrants. Of course, yes, there are some dummies who figure they can go through the checkpoint and fool the officers.

[Newcomer]

I like to go through the check points with sunglasses on at night with my windsheild wipers running even though it's not raining, my emergency flashers on, and the stereo cranking out classical music with the windows down while I drink a can of Near Beer. Really sends them for a loop LOL