SMPD uses checkpoints to educate, bust drunk drivers
The Santa Monica Police Department towed cars and issued citations during a Wilshire Boulevard DUI checkpoint Saturday.
Police stopped 199 cars heading westbound on Wilshire Boulevard at the intersection of 22nd Street. Police issued 18 tickets to motorists with expired or suspended drivers’ licenses and towed six vehicles for drivers’ license violations. One individual was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Some bar and restaurant owners say the checkpoints hurt their business, although they understand why the police conduct them.
William O’Sullivan, owner of O’Brien’s, reported lower sales because of the six-hour long checkpoint. He added that the checkpoint was the fourth time in the last few years that police have stopped vehicles directly in front of his establishment.
5B6,“I don’t know if they do it deliberately or if it’s because I’m halfway between the border and the beach,” he said. “People couldn’t get to my place because of the traffic jams it created.”
O’Sullivan said the checkpoint, which began at 9 p.m., didn’t stop patrons leaving his bar but instead stopped motorists trying to get there. He said drivers could see the police lights for blocks and avoided the area altogether.
“It’s like paying lipservice to DUI prevention instead of doing something that works,” he said.
O’Sullivan is known for having a zero tolerance on over-serving patrons at his Irish pub, located 2226 Wilshire Boulevard. O’Brien’s bartenders are trained to spot those who have had too much to drink and refuse to serve them.
SMPD spokesman Lt. Frank Fabrega said the checkpoint was the fourth one this year.
“They select them randomly where they would have the biggest impact on public education,” Fabrega said. “The goal of these programs aim at educating and bringing awareness to our community, while at the same time detecting and removing drunk and irresponsible drivers from our roadways.”
The area where the checkpoint was located has at least five bars and restaurants with liquor licenses within four blocks of the intersection.
Police conduct several checkpoints a year with funding from the state of California’s Office of Traffic Safety. The department issues “Removing Irresponsible Drivers” grants to local police departments.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 23, 2002. Read the original PDF.