Police in most states, including New York, use sobriety checkpoints to discourage drunk driving. Police at checkpoints randomly stop drivers and look for signs of impaired driving. The checkpoints typically are used around holidays on routes that have a higher-than-normal rate of DWI arrests or DWI-related crashes. Many people question the constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints, […]
A New York DWI can be costly. Besides the potential jail time and driver’s license suspension, a conviction means a substantial fine, even for a first offense. Next, tack on the mandatory surcharge and crime victims’ assistance fee. You could also be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device — at your own […]
Since at least 2013, the city of Buffalo has been running crime control roadblocks on a near-daily basis. These roadblocks require every passing motorist, or a randomly selected group, to stop and be inspected for criminal activity. That activity ranges from having improperly tinted windows to driving while impaired. The roadblocks are a major hassle […]
One of the most useful pieces of technology in the fight against drunken driving is the interlock ignition device. The technology is fairly new, but you have probably heard of them: These devices are breathalyzers that are installed in the automobiles of people who have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. If […]
People of color have long suspected they were under increased scrutiny by police, and a recent Stanford University study confirms that black and Latino drivers are searched during traffic stops at a higher rate than whites. This was true despite the fact that Latinos are statistically less likely than whites to be pulled over in […]
Attorney General Jeff Sessions appears to be calling for an overall crackdown on drug use in the United States, viewing it as the best way to reduce deaths from opioid overdoses. Speaking before the annual meeting of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, Sessions said that 2016 saw the highest number of drug overdose […]
If you look under a tarp for what appears to be a motorcycle, have you searched the motorcycle? Or have you searched the tarp? That question may be central to the appeal of a warrantless search meant to find a motorcycle that had been stolen years earlier from New York. Police in Virginia apparently spent […]
