News

September 2, 2010

DUI avoidance drawing praise

The new service provides text locations of sobriety checkpoints, and some in law enforcement see a positive side.

By Terrie Morgan-Besecker tmorgan@timesleader.com
Law & Order Reporter
Terrie Morgan-Besecker on Facebook   |   @TLTerrieMorgan on Twitter

A service that sends a text message to drivers identifying the location of DUI checkpoints throughout the region drew positive and negative reviews from local law enforcement officials.

The service, NEPACheckPoints.com, recently became available in the northeast. For an introductory cost of $1 per month, the service promises to send a text message advising the recipient of the location of sobriety check points in the area 12 hours in advance of the checkpoint, according to a newspaper ad published Wednesday.

The ad does not state how long the introductory period lasts or what the cost increases to after the introductory period. Persons can subscribe to the service by visiting the website www.NEPACheckPoints.com or by calling 570-714-6000.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the company that offers the service, which is not identified, promotes it as a “win/win” program that will promote public safety by increasing awareness and encouraging responsible consumption of alcohol.

“Because text alerts arrive 12 hours prior to the setting up of the checkpoint, citizens can easily find a designated driver, make other plans for the evening or choose not to drink at all,” the release says. “Police departments benefit from increased public awareness, which is what these checkpoints are designed to do in the first place.”

The service, which claims to have 8,000 subscribers, is legal because the information on the checkpoints is culled from public notices that must be published in newspapers and other media sources to conform to constitutional requirements, according to information on its website.

Jeff Tokach, first assistant district attorney for Luzerne County, said he has concerns that the service will be utilized by intoxicated drivers to avoid being arrested. But he also sees a positive side as it will increase awareness of sobriety checkpoints, which could act as deterrent to drinking and driving.

“Why else would someone subscribe to it other than to avoid checkpoints?” Tokach said. “But it could have the opposite effect. If people know there is a checkpoint out there, maybe they won’t put themselves at risk for a DUI.”

Kingston Township Police Officer Charles Rauschkolb, coordinator for the county’s sobriety checkpoint program, said he’s also concerned there’s a potential for abuse. But he also sees some advantages to the service.

“Perhaps it does help because it increases the amount of awareness in the community,” Rauschkolb said. “A number of people have made comments to me that, when they knew there was a checkpoint, instead of driving drunk they will get a designated driver or call a friend or a cab.”

Several sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols are scheduled for this weekend in Luzerne County in anticipation of increased drunken driving due to the Labor Day holiday.

Carl McDonald, an official with the national office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Irving, Texas, did not want to comment specifically on the service, but did say MADD supports the publication of sobriety checkpoints in the media.

McDonald said MADD recognizes that some people utilize the information to avoid detection when intoxicated. But the organization believes that negative is outweighed by the positive deterrent effect of publishing checkpoint locations.

The NepaCheckpoints.com website includes the logos of MADD and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), giving the impression those organizations have endorsed the service.

McDonald said he was unaware of that until told by a reporter. The organization is checking with its legal department Wednesday to determine if NEPACheckPoints.com had authorization to utilize the logo, he said.

Terrie Morgan-Besecker, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7179.

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