(Thanks to Jim for the link!)

http://www.gazette.com/opinion/city-126967-new-hall.html

OUR VIEW: New mayor restores freedom, kills DUI checkpoints
 

He nixes DUI checkpoints and cameras
 
October 18, 2011 8:28 PM
 

WAYNE LAUGESEN

FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
 

The overhaul of City Hall could be a dream come true for those who want less government in their lives.
 
Any questions about the new city administration’s commitment to limited government disappeared Tuesday when the new interim police chief, appointed after Mayor Steve Bach asked Chief Richard Myers to quit, made the surprise announcement that cops would no longer stage sobriety checkpoints. Instead of detaining thousands of innocent citizens, trying to catch a few who are stupid enough to wait in checkpoint lines after drinking, cops will use the more-effective method of patrolling for drunk drivers. Patrolling involves looking for evidence, rather than waiting around with an odd expectation that people who are sloshed will come to the police and check in. The average drunk driver in a fatal crash has a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. Checkpoints typically catch casual drinkers  who don’t believe those three glasses of wine at dinner might land them in jail.
 
“We’re going to try a different process that may prove to be a little more effective: saturation patrols and high visibility enforcement,” said interim Police Chief Pete Carey to a work session of the City Council on Tuesday.
 
That means city police will no longer disrespect innocent citizens, the vast majority of whom do not drive drunk. Just last month, city cops detained 1,420 drivers during a Saturday sobriety checkpoint. They suspected only eight, a whole .56 percent, of driving under the influence. Five others were cited for open containers. As serious drunks made their way through city streets, cops tied up traffic and wasted their time detaining 1,407 innocent citizens — without a scintilla of probable cause — who had done nothing wrong.
 
This dumping of checkpoints honors tens of thousands of residents who have waited in lines to have their fundamental protection from unwarranted searches and seizures violated by city government.
 
It doesn’t stop there. At the meeting, Carey announced plans to stop using cameras at intersections to mechanically ticket drivers suspected of running red lights. Carey said the decision was made with “some input from the mayor’s office.” He said “public opinion” also played a role.
 
Imagine that. We have a ranking, non-elected public servant who tries to determine what a majority of citizens wants from him and his department. He seems to understand that he is paid by the public to serve the public.
 
Reducing government involves restricting opportunities for government officials to involve themselves in our lives. It means presuming innocence unless and until something gives authorities probable cause to suspect otherwise. Thank Mayor Bach, his Chief of Staff Steve Cox, and interim Police Chief Carey for respecting Springs residents and visitors who respect order and peace. Thank them for erring on the side of the law-abiding majority.
 

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