Wow! There’s just so much wrong with this post. First, at a sobriety checkpoint they don’t even ask for any paperwork (at the primary, don’t know if you’re moved into secondary / follow-up). Second, the questions are more to engage you & elicit a response; are you answering in a timely manner, are you slurring your words, etc.
Third, these checkpoints are more about quantity than quality (if they wanted quality, they’d do away with this BS & have the cops on dedicated roving patrols since stats show that that is more effective {first Google result}). They’re almost always on major thoroughfares where they encounter a larger number of vehicles passing thru & not in sketchy neighborhoods with less traveled roads. If they don’t determine (perceived) impairment you’re free to go; you’re free to say, “None of your damned business”, or “Work” or “Down the road” when asked where you’re coming from. You won’t have to worry about consistent answers to follow-up questions because you probably won’t be asked them & you can decide not to answer them if you are asked them.
In my experience dealing with cops in court, the reason to ask a question is to initiate a conversation as a way of gathering evidence in furtherance of a drunk driving conviction. Officers typically report noticing “thick tongue”, “slurred speech”, or “the strong odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage” when talking to a person they suspect to be intoxicated. In that regard, the question is not as important as getting the person to respond; “Where you heading tonight?” works just as well as “Do you know why I pulled you over?” If it seemed like a useless question, it’s probably because you answered like a sober person (“home”; “I missed that sign”; not slurring your words or smelling of booze) and so they never followed up with anything further, like asking you to perform a field sobriety test.
Speaking as one of those 50 year olds, I can say that “not being a dick” really works. Try it someday - it’s amazing! It’s not terribly uncommon for my speedometer to be at 80 while calmly keeping up with prevailing traffic on the freeway. Around here, the joke is that unless you’re holding a severed head out the window, the CHP is unlikely to bother you.
The first and only time I’ve been pulled over was for not having my headlights on at night. I had an oil change done earlier that day and did not notice that the shop turned my headlights from Auto to Off as I’d been parked in a well-lit downtown area. The officer opened with “Good evening. I pulled you over because your headlights aren’t on.” He was polite, I was polite, and I left a few minutes warning with a courtesy note.
For the person who got bagged doing what they thought was an OK speed in a school zone in the absence of specific signage - some states have presumed or prima facie speed limits that are in force regardless of signs. In California, it’s 25 miles per hour in business and residential districts and school zones unless otherwise posted.
You and I seem to be misunderstanding each other Spiderman; I am going to try to explain what I meant and understand the point of your comments.
It seems to me that all of your posts in this thread are concerning sobriety checkpoints, and I gather you do not care for them. You believe there is a more effective manner of policing—and there may be, depending upon your definition of “more effective”. I think by focusing on quality vs quantity, you are missing the point of sobriety checkpoints. But before we get into that, I want to point out that the portion of my post you quoted was never meant to address sobriety checkpoints as the context should have suggested. Five paragraphs into my post, I did specifically address checkpoints- but you don’t quote that paragraph. That first paragraph of my post was meant to address post number 51 made by K2500 which made the point that giving the smartass answer that Johnny L. A. suggested earlier caused further unwanted interest by the officer whom had made the stop. Looking back I can see that response was made in connection to sobriety checkpoints, but there was nothing in the post I quoted that mentioned or even suggested the question was within the context of a sobriety checkpoint. But even if it was- I believe I am going to demonstrate that I make a good point whatever the context is that has a motorist speaking to a sworn officer standing outside his (or her) driver’s side window. My point was simply that whatever the circumstances are, telling an obvious lie, or responding: “None of your damned business” is not the optimal answer to give a law enforcement officer. Ever.
But back to sobriety checkpoints; my view is that they are neither about quantity nor quality. They are about discouraging driving with any level of impairment. In my area they are usually run by, and manned by task forces of several agencies at several levels of government. They are advertised beforehand even to the point of law enforcement sending press releases to broadcast news organizations leading up to and during times when drinking and partying are to be expected. The point is not to “catch” offenders, or write more tickets the point is to make people plan ahead and arrange alternate transportation. At times like New Years Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, if the Superbowl is in town (or even if it isn’t), at any time folks are likely to be impaired checkpoints are used and advertised to discourage anyone from driving while impaired. Bars and restaurants often hire busses or vans to drive patrons home (or to their hotel for out of town guests). Cabs will give you a free ride home if you agree to pay for a ride back to your car when you have recovered sobriety, public transportation is usually beefed up and occasionally free (if you have a ticket to the game for example). A perfectly executed sobriety checkpoint will yield zero arrests, zero citations, and cause motorists zero problems. That is the purpose they serve.
You are correct, they are usually in high traffic areas near downtown areas full of bars and clubs, and the primary focus IS to stop impaired drivers. The questions are primarily meant to see if you respond without slurred speech or other obvious signs of impairment, or even to look around the floorboards for empty bottles or pipes. But they are by no means limited to those purposes, a sworn officer can ask for your license anytime he or she feels there is cause to do so. If you are driving a car that has a parking sticker for faculty parking at a school twenty miles away and it is two o’clock in the morning and you tell the cop you are coming from work? You would have to be some kind of stupid to think a cop isn’t going notice that and wonder exactly why you are telling such an obvious lie. He or she now has to be asking themselves what is worth hiding to make that lie seem like a good option. And there are a million tell tale signs; a guy with a hardhat in his backseat with a company name on it, a bumper sticker, a placard hanging from your rearview mirror, maybe you just have rough, calloused hands that scream ‘does industrial or construction work during daylight hours’. Maybe they might drag out the process, ask several more friendly questions to see if it makes you sweat. (Clue, being questioned by the cops makes everyone sweat if it goes on long enough.)
Now most cops just want to get through their shift, and as I stated above—they don’t want to arrest anyone. But they are obligated to remove any potentially dangerous driver from the road. Also, he or she may slightly resent the fact that they couldn’t get the night off to go party themselves while you have been out having a great old time. Now you lie to them, or tell them your movements are none of their business. Let me ask you, how much do you think a breathalyzer costs to administer? Sure most cops are going to wave you through, but you have been evasive bordering on hostile. You avoid eye contact (or you are defiant with a threatening demeanor), perhaps you have given different answers to the same question (answers don’t have to be contradictory- just different). My point is that is still a legal authority figure you are talking to with all of power and authority of his or her office- if they are manning a checkpoint or not and if you lie to them or disrespect them…. Especially if they have been standing out there for hours, tired, bored, and perhaps frustrated. They can ask for your documents, they can ask you to perform a field sobriety test, they can ask you submit to a breathalyzer, they can ask to search your vehicle. They can write you for any damn infraction they find. If you piss them off, they are going to look harder. Since you seem to have a singular focus on checkpoints, please try to remember that if an officer is working a sobriety checkpoint or not—they can and will cite you and/or arrest you for any other violation they become aware of
From my point of view, it makes more sense to be honest and friendly during any traffic stop and every encounter—sobriety check point or not. A cop can ask for your ID for any reason whatsoever, to ask for registration and proof of insurance may require a slight hint of a suggestion there may be a traffic violation or deficiency with the vehicle. If asked for, a context will be found to justify asking—or you may comply, and if everything is in order be on your way shortly.
Now you are correct about several things, I am going to quote you and see if we can agree on a few things:
If they don’t determine (perceived) impairment you’re free to go; you’re free to say, “None of your damned business”, or “Work” or “Down the road” when asked where you’re coming from. You won’t have to worry about consistent answers to follow-up questions because you probably won’t be asked them & you can decide not to answer them if you are asked them.
As you state, you are free to say whatever you want. But just because there is no perceived impairment does not mean you are free to go. You are free to go when you are released and if you lie to or insult the duly sworn officer, he or she is free to pursue and investigate all other matters as well as sobriety. Even if you were to be arrested and released the next day with no charges filed— you would still get to pay the impound fee to get your car back. I have seen it happen.
I didn’t just pull this out of my rear end. I have sat at tables with one. or two, or a dozen cops several times while they try to one-up each other with stories about self righteous but uninformed individuals they stopped who had one or two experiences and were cocky enough to think they were beyond arrest. I have been on calls where the scene commander will try to cut some drunk a little slack and allow the wife or other family member drive the vehicle home rather than impound it. And all the while the guy yells about the jackbooted cops giving his car to that bitch!! She ain’t driving shit, that is my car and nobody drives it but me! In that particular case, the commander sighed, looked at me and shrugged and instructed the troops to call a tow truck and impound the vehicle, Mr. ____________ has made his intentions clear. But first cite him for every violation you can find, starting with illegal parking. The cop was trying to be cool, but the dickhead managed to add a thousand dollars and much inconvenience to an already expensive series of mistakes.
Yes, at a sobriety checkpoint, especially if there is a long backup, if you are driving reasonably well, have the power of speech, and are not sweating or vomiting profusely – you are likely to get waved through; but if you start lying and giving the cop attitude—things might not go too well for you. At least that is how things are out here in the west. Don’t give the cop an opportunity to say this to you: “So you are coming from work, huh? At 2:20 in the morning on New Year’s Day - - in your fancy threads and your hair all styled, okay. I see you have a parking sticker for Thompson small motors and gears, is that where you work? Installing some motors for the new year are you? Oh, that isn’t where you work. Okay, sticker was on the car when you bought it, I see. Where do you work? Hmm, never heard of that place, what is the address? You don’t know the exact address where you work? What is it near? Do they have a parking lot, or do you park on the street? How about a phone number for, um… what’s it called again? Well is it Anderson Electronics or Ellison Electronics? You seem to be a little confused, are you on any medication? Do you feel dizzy? Why don’t you step out of the vehicle (not a question).” If you are lying or evasive—well that is suspicious, you do warrant a closer look.