DUI Checkpoint - City of Goleta

SBSO Press Release
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint on June 29th 2007 in the City of Goleta area. Motorists approaching the checkpoint will see informational signs advising them that a sobriety checkpoint is ahead. Once diverted into the checkpoint lane, motorists will be detained for only a few moments while deputies explain the purpose of the checkpoint and check their driver’s licenses.

Sobriety checkpoints are conducted in accordance with guidelines for checkpoint operations outlined in the Supreme Court decision, Ingersoll vs. Palmer. Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked. If traffic volume becomes too heavy, vehicles will then be checked by a pre-set standard (such as every 3rd or 5th vehicle) to ensure objectivity.

By placing checkpoints on roads with identified DUI problems and detaining drivers for a limited time we help ensure the safety of our citizens. Checkpoints tend to reduce the number of drinking drivers on our roads, even though arrest totals do not rise dramatically. A major value of these checkpoints is their psychological influence. The news media is advised well in advance whenever a checkpoint is planned since extensive publicity is also viewed as a “legal safeguard.”

The checkpoint will be operated from approximately 6:30 pm to 3:00 am. Funding for these checkpoints is provided by a grant from the California Office of Public Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.