DUI Checkpoint Underway in St. Mary's

12/23/2010

Printer friendly

News Feedback NOTE: Views expressed below do not reflect the views or opinions of TheBayNet.com, or the employees of TheBayNet.com.

Comment On This Story!

jbeckman 12/23/2010 at 12:18 PM Good work people drink and drive all times during the day and night. Not just a nighttime issue. I heard saturation patrols are planned in the coming days and week. Good work! Reply to This Comment

misskitty 12/23/2010 at 12:32 PM quick Hide yo kids, hide yo wife! Reply to This Comment

MasterShake 12/23/2010 at 1:08 PM I would figure.. .. If you want these thigs to be effective, you wouldn't show where they are.. Reply to This Comment

vader33 12/23/2010 at 1:26 PM WASTE!! WTF sense does this make? Let's shut down traffic on the ONLY major thoroughfare to NAS Pax. Thanks for wasting our tax dollars!!! Reply to This Comment

magnolia 12/23/2010 at 1:38 PM Reply to vader33: A waste? First, you should consider that almost no one is at work at Pax today, so is it really a major impact traffic Pax operations? Not really. And I'm sure many of those that did go to work on Pax today, are gone by now. Second, let's see how many people they catch drinking and driving, and then speculate about how many accidents were avoided, before you dub this a waste. Third, you apparently don't know your way around the area surrounding Pax; there are a number of other routes onto the base: 235 S, Hermanville Road, Great Mills Road, Pegg Road, and all the roads in between.

think 12/23/2010 at 1:49 PM Reply to vader33: reply to WASTE Just think if your family or friends were hit by a drunk driver, you wouldn't think it was a waste. Trust me, I lost a friend to a drunk driver. Let these people do their job. I wish they did it more often.

TTsNBeer 12/23/2010 at 3:55 PM Reply to vader33: And Making us, the taxpayer who pays fo all dem "less fortunate" an der chilin's welfare check, late for work...Thanks, thank a whole bunch..why not be a little more proactive and do some traffic enforcement on 235 from shoppers to Rt.4. seems people think that blocking an intersection is perfectly legal round these parts, HuckHuck.

PhatDaddy 12/27/2010 at 10:25 AM Reply to vader33: Definite waste "let's see how many people they catch drinking and driving, and then speculate about how many accidents were avoided" I saw so many near-accidents (and one large ACTUAL accident) due to the holiday traffic. People were gridlocking traffic trying to hurry through lights so they could sit in the middle of the intersection, blocking everybody going the other way after the light changed. It was horrendous!! Where were the cops where we needed them? Oh right, they were looking for drunks at 2 in the afternoon on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

LRay 12/23/2010 at 1:50 PM A waste. Wrong magnolia. Absolutely wrong. I was at work today and I was coming back from my lunch break. I was also NOT checked for sobriety. They are not checking sobriety. They are waiving all cars through at a pace not nearly slow enough to check for sobriety but just slow enough to block the busiest road in the county. This is a waste. It is a waste of any miniscule amount of dollars spent, it is a waste of time, and it is completely ridiculous. I should not HAVE to check to see if my way through 235 is going to be impeded by a waste of time fake sobriety check and plan an alternate route. This town is off the charts in the ridiculous ways they do things. I'm fed up. Others are fed up. This is why retention is an issue in St. Mary's County. Reply to This Comment

magnolia 12/23/2010 at 2:09 PM Reply to LRay: Refer to... think's comment. Furthermore, a checkpoint doesn't mean they check EVERY vehicle.

bobca 12/23/2010 at 1:52 PM Stupid, Baynet Thanks Baynet for providing details (with location pictures) on an active sobriety checkpoint. I'll be sure to avoid the area this afternoon as I drive home drunk from my work Christmas party. - Said with sarcasm. Very unprofessional of the Baynet to undermine the activities of the Sheriff's department by posting this article. You should be ashamed! Reply to This Comment

johnd 12/23/2010 at 2:24 PM Reply to bobca: The Sheriff's Office knew. They knew that we were sending photos up live, and said it was OK before the checkpoint started. I was there for the entire checkpoint, Jim Stone, Capt. Steve Hall, and the Sheriff all knew this was updated live. Because it was on here live over 1,000 people viewed the story in under an hour. It gets the word out and that is what this day was all about. Also at times to keep from backing up traffic too much they would open the checkpoint and let all cars continue without stopping for a set period of time.

bobca 12/23/2010 at 11:03 PM Reply to bobca: JohnD - They knew? Oh, I stand corrected. Based on what you say, and as others have suggested, this was indeed a colossal waste of time and taxpayer dollars. It wasn't a DUI checkpoint as the title of the article suggests, but to quote you, a way to "get(s) the word out and that is what this day was all about". I went by this "checkpoint" at about 1:30 PM and saw a minimum of 8 deputies working, 6+ idle police cruisers, other support vehicles and about a mile of traffic backed up. I would wager that this charade cost the taxpayers of this county thousands of dollars in wasted manpower, not to mention our citizens' time spent and gasoline wasted sitting in line so that a pamphlet of paper could be handed out and the "word" put out. The sheriff and his cronies should personally reimburse the good people of the county for this farce. Might I suggest that the next time the Sheriff's Department wants to get the "word out" they issue a press release and save the taxpayer dollars so the money can be spent on something more productive…like actually catching drunk drivers.

vet1957 12/23/2010 at 1:53 PM stupid ridiculous waste of time! they must be bored stop the real bad aggressive drivers. this just inconveniences the public Reply to This Comment

bofad31 2/14/2011 at 5:44 PM Reply to vet1957: your comment It's gonna be an inconvience to your iggnorant @$$ When a drunk driver smacks your face in when it could of been prevented. just so you know cops dont just get together and are like ohhhhhhhhh my gosh lets go do this. like any other paramilitary unit the are tasked WITH ORDERS! AND IF THEY DONT FOLLOW THEIR ORDERS THEY CAN BE REPREMENDDED (SP) OR EVEN FIRED. i hope you someday see that police officers have the most thankless job ever and its because of people like you why it's such a hassle. it keeps the job interesting though

LRay 12/23/2010 at 1:57 PM A waste. Wrong magnolia. Absolutely wrong. I was at work today and I was coming back from my lunch break. I was also NOT checked for sobriety. They are not checking sobriety. They are waiving all cars through at a pace not nearly slow enough to check for sobriety but just slow enough to block the busiest road in the county. This is a waste. It is a waste of any miniscule amount of dollars spent, it is a waste of time, and it is completely ridiculous. I should not HAVE to check to see if my way through 235 is going to be impeded by a waste of time fake sobriety check and plan an alternate route. This town is off the charts in the ridiculous ways they do things. I'm fed up. Others are fed up. This is why retention is an issue in St. Mary's County. Reply to This Comment

magnolia 12/23/2010 at 2:07 PM Reply to LRay: L Ray It must not have been too urgent for you to get back to "work" if you have time to get on the Baynet while you're at work to vent about needing to get back to work. Just sayin...

iscream22 12/23/2010 at 4:01 PM Reply to LRay: Agree with Lray I agree it is a waste, and slowed me down a extra 20 minutes. Im all for arresting intoxicated drivers but to stop traffic during the daytime to distribute pamphlets is a waste of time for police officers and the public. Its ineffective and silly. If someone is obviously swerving on the road, yes pull them over, if they are intoxicated, arrest them. Not to mention its a boarderline invasion of privacy to slow down traffic and line people up like sheep and check on them. Im minding my own business and am sober theres no need to check up on me. Just another way of the system getting citizens to submit their privacy for "security". And im not trying to bash the police department, theres a lot of great nice cops around here, but i was very aggrivated today with this useless checkpoint. And even if they are going to have a checkpoint have it at night, theres a much higher percentage of intoxicated drivers on the road then.

dako 12/23/2010 at 9:53 PM Reply to LRay: Ouch... I heard the slap from magnolia clear at my house! You gotta admit, you kinda walked right into that.

Chris0nllyn 12/23/2010 at 3:03 PM Hope you all.... Enjoy pamphlets.... What a waste of trees! Next time send out an e-mail or something. Reply to This Comment

magnolia 12/23/2010 at 4:31 PM Reply to Chris0nllyn: Now that... ...I can agree with.

TravelingMan 12/23/2010 at 4:42 PM Reply to Chris0nllyn: Wrong again magnolia I bet you would bi--h if you seen a police car at 7-11 because they are not working. Are you on a Government computer during working hours, checking local news maybe.

magnolia 12/24/2010 at 10:08 AM Reply to Chris0nllyn: Reply to travelingman Actually, no. I was off work yesterday using some UOL because I'm actually dedicated to my job and had quite a bit of time to use before the new year. Me and my personal computer were checking the local news. But thanks for asking!

DenyFate 12/23/2010 at 5:48 PM Always complainers I'd venture to say that was for all of the wonderful folks who go on lunch break from the illustrious PAXNAS and have just one too many... People: "Oh police, you don't do enough about drunk drivers in my county!!" Police: Ok we'll do a check point People: "Oh well now you have inconvenienced me for 20 minutes!! WAAHH Now I am late for a job where I spend most of my time online complaining on the baynet." Reply to This Comment

im_me2 12/23/2010 at 7:30 PM It's surely a mans world in the police department around here. And pictures paint a thousand words. Just sayin too... Reply to This Comment

lou45 12/23/2010 at 10:19 PM thanks....... do more of them and more often. tired of being almost sideswiped by drunks straddling the road lines when they pass. now to get traffic cameras on corners to ticket the light runners. triple the fines for all moving violations. I see the county commission approved another intersection on 235 within 300 yards of the most deadliest intersection at St John's Church Rd. when will it end. Plus the traffic barriers at Airport View, apparently the road department knows the new light will not stop the demolition derby around that intersection. Just a note, any biker tagged there and knocked into those barriers will be killed. you poor drivers live with that thought before the accident. Reply to This Comment

goldy38 12/23/2010 at 11:38 PM DUI Checkpoint I think that the Sheriff's Office put the public in much more danger than any drunk driver with this one. What perfect timing I think you managed to back up traffic through several major intersections. How many drunks did your skilled deputies arrest? I hope at least one or wetre you fishing without bait. The genius in the first blog said, " people drive drunk at all hours", No dought but the numbers increase at night. I along with other taxpayers deserve to travel these roads without a traffic backup at the Sheriff's Departments expense. There are enough traffic problems without the police causing them. Reply to This Comment

carbootsoul 12/24/2010 at 7:38 AM an appropriate use of resources? Come on guys! Are you really siding with the police on this one? This is absurd. There is no reason to have a DUI Checkpoint at 1PM. Absolutely none. It is as much a waste of the polices time as it is ours. Reply to This Comment

wellbehaved 12/24/2010 at 12:26 PM Reply to carbootsoul: I completely agree Checkpoints such as these are unconstitutional and a complete waste of resources. But I bet they sure did hand out a few citations for crap like windows being tinted too dark or not having registered your vehicle in the recommended 60 days. I'm sure they could find something wrong with everyone if they did house to house searches, too, while there at it. Way to screw up the holidays, as if they weren't stressful enough. You cops should be ashamed of yourselves. If you wanted to catch drunk drivers then get out there and do your job - pull over people that are exhibit a reasonable cause for you to suspect they might be breaking the law - and leave everyone else alone!

PhatDaddy 12/27/2010 at 10:32 AM Reply to carbootsoul: Meanwhile... Shoplifters were free to run rampant, and rt 235 was packed with people who don't understand that when traffic is backed up into the intersection, that pulling into the intersection and stopping in it is not the best way to alleviate the traffic. Cops were too busy slowing traffic to deliver mail on one of the busiest shopping days of the year to do their jobs.

DaCritic 12/24/2010 at 3:40 PM WouldHave Been... A good time to rob a bank! I can just see the clowns running into each other rushing to the wrong bank and yelling at everyone for being in the way! They should make a movie! Run it on the Comedy Channel along with the Redskins game re-runs! Reply to This Comment

freefaller 12/27/2010 at 8:20 AM Reply to DaCritic: Before you critisize... ...you should educate yourself. The deputies running the checkpoint are not taken from the deputies working patrol. They are officers working overtime from other shifts. Therefor, the level of deputies on patrol does not change. Generally, the checkpoints are paid for from a grant issued by the state or the Feds. To those of you complaining about the deputies handing out pamphlets, you should be aware, that's how they check you very quickly. When they hand you that pamphlet, they are checking for the odor of alcohol. If they detect something, you would be pulled aside for a more detailed check. That's how it works folks.

PhatDaddy 1/3/2011 at 8:22 AM Reply to DaCritic: logic much? "They are officers working overtime from other shifts" yea... It's not a waste of money... because they're being paid time and a half! What's the big deal guys? ... g- guys?

freefaller 1/3/2011 at 5:07 PM Reply to DaCritic: To: phatdaddy Let me explain, again. DUI checkpoints are funded thru a grant from the Feds or from the State. The Sheriffs office can only use the grant money for what the grant is issued for. If they get $ for a DUI checkpoint, it must be used for a DUI checkpoint. How hard is that to understand. As for the deputies working overtime, I have no problem with that. They don't get paid enough as it is so if they can earn a few dollars working overtime, good for them! It's amazing. Some of you folks will never be happy. Pay deputies a little overtime so they don't pull personel from active patrol and you bit** about that. If you take them out of patrol, you whine about that. I realize that cop-haters can never be happy no matter what the police do. I've come to expect that. I don't like it, but I expect it. It's what you do!

This feature is only available to registered members.
Register for free today to take full advantage of The Bay Net's features!

To Register: Click Here

Already a Registered Member? Log In Below:

Username: Password:

Send This Story to a Friend!

Your E-Mail: Their E-Mail: Comments: Security Code:

---