Roadblocks down in the bayou

The Sheriff over in Cameron Parish, Louisiana decided to set himself up a roadblock to catch all those pesky drunk drivers in Grand Lake last Friday night. His posse was made possible by a $330,000. The sheriff's office spent about $80,000 for equipment and overtime expense for that li'l ol' roadblock.

"The citizens are glad that we're taking a proactive approach to making sure the highways are safer." Chief Deputy Ron Johnson, CPSO

And what a success it was. Of the 589 vehicles stopped without either reasonable suspicion or probable cause, deputies made all of six arrests. Of those arrests, only two were for driving while intoxicated. Deputies administered coordination exercises to nine motorists -- I would assume because they smelled the devil's drink on their breath.

Listening to the newscast you would think the reporter is the spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

DPS calls for driver's license checkpoints

Last month I wrote about the DPS' new policy of not renewing or issuing new Texas drivers' licenses to anyone who can't prove they are in the United States legally.

Now, according to the Houston Chronicle, comes word that the DPS has asked Greg Abbott, the Texas Attorney General, for permission to set up drivers' license checkpoints across the state. According to the request, the checkpoints would be set up to check for valid drivers' licenses, registration and insurance.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio and 14 other legislators have sent Mr. Abbott a letter asking him to ignore the DPS' request for a legal opinion.

The last time I checked, being in the United States without permission was a federal issue, not a state issue.  There is no provision in the Texas penal code making it a crime to be in this county illegally.  There is also no need for state or local police agencies to enforce federal law.

The DPS has enough to worry about with rogue technical supervisors faking maintenance records on the intoxilyzers used to carry out the state's breath alcohol testing program without worrying about whether a driver is here legally or not not.