marybarr wrote:
L All I got from the article was that they were young and speaking Spanish and that there were no weopons or drugs on him when caught. But it was sure stupid to spit at cops and then run. I also didn't say the cops had no probable cause, because I really can't tell that from the article either, just that I wish they could catch bigger fish.

Ticketing make sense but if I saw an officer giving my car a ticket on a bad day I am not sure what I would say. I hope I'm level headed enough to smile and say, "Have a nice day officer."

newtothearea wrote:
obviously there is a line when it comes to unreasonable searches. but, using some judgment, which im not sure the jcpd has (besides the point), i dont see anything wrong with some random checkpoints or searches. and sprinkle a little racial profiling in there as well for good measure.

marybarr wrote:
New Heights always loves to pick on me. I state my opinion and my opinion is based on experience. I worked in NYC Corrections for two years and I teach classes at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It isn't always on the police officers, it is the fault of having a quota system. Quantity comes before quality of arrests. I also believe it makes good cops do stuff they wouldn't ordinarily do because hey, the guy who gets more arrests gets more money and promotions. The arrests aren't always closely looked at. And that's the fact Jack.

Also I don't feel safer having parking tickets and spitting youths being the police targets. There are REALLY BAD folk out there and they could have been doing something about them instead.

Vigilante wrote:
The Check Points are great for stopping speeders, Stop Sign runners and people with expired inspection stickers etc. The cops only need this simple excuse to run a check on a drivers record. It's the same reason NYC used to go after fare-jumpers, squeegie men etc. Often these small violations are the tip of the iceberg and an outstanding warrant is revealed. Many times the cops in NYC caught perps with guns, drugs etc. and took them off the street after nabbing them for simple crimes. In a city where the police force is understaffed this is a fantastic idea. Create pinchpoints through which traffic flows and weed out those with outstanding warrants. These kids gave the cops a perfect excuse to bust them. "Interfering with a Goverment function". I Love It! Kudos JCPD.

Vigilante wrote:
This is exactly why the cops should have road-blocks and spot checks in problem areas.

DowntownSteve28 wrote:
Great job, Vigilante. Chiming in based on something someone else said without backup? Own yourself, fat boy.

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The Michigan Supreme Court had found sobriety roadblocks to be a violation of the Fourth Amendment. However, by a 6-3 decision in Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz (1990), the United States Supreme Court found properly conducted sobriety checkpoints to be constitutional. While acknowledging that such checkpoints infringed on a constitutional right, Chief Justice Rehnquist argued the state interest in reducing drunk driving outweighed this minor infringement.

Furthermore:

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has found sobriety checkpoints to be constitutionally permissible, eleven states have found that sobriety roadblocks violate their own state constitutions or have outlawed them. [4] Opposition to sobriety roadblocks is generally stronger among civil libertarians, conservatives and libertarians. See Foss, R.D., et al. Roadside Surveys in Conjunction with Sobriety Checkpoints. North Carolina State Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Shaffer Library of Drug Policy.

Furthermore:

Judge Stevens, who also dissented in this case, argued that the net effect of checkpoints on traffic safety is small, and possibly negative. He also stated that even if roadblocks were effective, conducting them would not justify violating people’s constitutional rights.

Many DUI attorneys call this ruling “the DUI exception to the Constitution.”
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Sorry, Vigilante, you're in the minority on your fascist police state mentality. You know who also liked checkpoints?

JC_DowntownRegular wrote:
Quote:

...at Fourth Street and Marin Boulevard...

Pardon my ignorance, but do 4th and Marin even cross?

And kudos to JCPD.

bodhipooh wrote:
DirtMcGirt said
Quote:

That would violate the 4th amendment.

Not true!! The Supreme Court has ruled (fairly consistently) on the legalilty of discretionless checkpoints, so long as their scope is narrow and well defined.

As such, police checkpoints to check on driver's licenses and registrations are legally permissible. The same goes for sobriety checkpoints, or immigration verification checkpoints. Lastly, the Supreme Court even allows for focused informational checkpoints.

...at Fourth Street and Marin Boulevard...

bodhipooh wrote:
DirtMcGirt said
Quote:

That would violate the 4th amendment.

Not true!! The Supreme Court has ruled (fairly consistently) on the legalilty of discretionless checkpoints, so long as their scope is narrow and well defined.

As such, police checkpoints to check on driver's licenses and registrations are legally permissible. The same goes for sobriety checkpoints, or immigration verification checkpoints. Lastly, the Supreme Court even allows for focused informational checkpoints.

That would violate the 4th amendment.

DirtMcGirt wrote:
Quote:

Vigilante wrote:
Quote:

marybarr wrote:
Gee I feel much safer now that the cops are writing parking tickets and arresting smart alecs.

This is exactly why the cops should have road-blocks and spot checks in problem areas. Kudos to the JCPD and to this idiot who walked right into their hands.

That would violate the 4th amendment.

Vigilante wrote:
Quote:

marybarr wrote:
Gee I feel much safer now that the cops are writing parking tickets and arresting smart alecs.

This is exactly why the cops should have road-blocks and spot checks in problem areas. Kudos to the JCPD and to this idiot who walked right into their hands.

marybarr wrote:
Gee I feel much safer now that the cops are writing parking tickets and arresting smart alecs.