The Fort Lauderdale police department and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office often set up sobriety checkpoints in the area. At a sobriety checkpoint, police officers check vehicles for intoxicated drivers. They are not permitted to pick and choose drivers, as that could lead to a biased selection process. Instead, they must have a plan in place to select vehicles for testing in advance, such as every car or every third car.

Broward DUI lawyer William Moore is well-versed in the legality of DUI checkpoints. In fact, he has written several articles on this important topic in DUI defense. The law enforcement agency administering the checkpoint must follow strict guidelines due to the exceptionally intrusive nature of these stops. Broward law enforcement agencies are permitted to make these intrusions due to the state’s strong interest in removing drunk drivers from the local roads for the safety of the general public.

Sobriety checkpoints must be well-lit and offer appropriate notification on the roads so that drivers are not taken by surprise. A driver must have the opportunity to turn around and avoid the checkpoint entirely. If the law enforcement agency does not follow the guidelines, the evidence they obtain against a person arrested for DUI at the checkpoint may not be admitted against him in court.

Unfortunately, Broward DUI lawyer William Moore has found that DUI checkpoints are not particularly successful in preventing DUIs. They typically net very few drunk drivers, but bring in significant amounts of revenue through citations for other traffic infractions. Although the officers are well-meaning, the sobriety checkpoints are not effective at preventing drunk driving, which is their stated goal.

Under Florida law, Broward County law enforcement officials must publicize the checkpoints in advance. For example, you may read in the newspaper that the Sheriff’s Office will be operating DUI checkpoints at specified locations in advance of big events or holidays. Fort Lauderdale DUI attorney William Moore pays close attention to these reports due to his keen interest in the legality of the procedures used by law enforcement officials.

Many people choose to avoid the checkpoints entirely and may do so for a variety of reasons – forgetting to put the new insurance card in the glove compartment, fear stemming from a previous DUI arrest, or simply a desire to avoid delay on your late-night trip back home. If you would like to be notified of upcoming sobriety checkpoints and locations so that you can be prepared, please sign up below to receive updates in advance.