Sobriety Checkpoints

December 8, 2009

NJ DWI News: Drunk Driving Patrols Increased Across New Jersey through New Years

The coming holiday season is well known for its parties and family gatherings, and despite the poor economy drunk driving arrests are sure to surge during the next few weeks. In response, New Jersey DWI enforcement units are taking to the streets in an effort to reduce the instance of driving while intoxicated. As leading drunk driving defense lawyers, my firm has experience in a wide range of DWI and drug DUI defense. Recent news of the “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign is evidence that drunk driving patrols will be working overtime in the Garden State.

According to news reports, law enforcement agencies across the state are already conducting saturation patrols and operating sobriety checkpoints, also known as sobriety roadblocks, as part of the nationwide drunk driving campaign. Enforcement will continue, say police, through January 3, 2010.

New Jersey’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety is funding the local initiative, which began in 1999. According to reports, the division provides $5,000 grants to law enforcement agencies to cover overtime for those officers assigned to DWI patrols or checkpoints.

December 3, 2009

New Jersey DWI Defense News: Recent Police Crackdown Nets Dozens of Drunk Driving Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Results from a two-week drunk driving sting operation show that more than 1,500 individuals were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol between August 21 and September 7. The “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign was designed to snare DWI suspects in the weeks leading up to this past Labor Day holiday. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I and my colleagues represent many of the dozens of motorists accused every week of driving while intoxicated.

The latest report on that pre-Labor Day campaign shows that New Jersey law enforcement agencies all around the Garden State stopped and arrested 1,582 drunk-driving suspects, including 137 in Bergen County and 95 in Passaic County. According to news reports, Bergen County police officers also issued 1,973 summonses for speeding, while Passaic County issued 374 summonses for seat belt violations.

In East Rutherford, however, only two drunk driving arrests were made during the campaign, according to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, although the municipality did issue 74 summonses for speeding.

November 6, 2009

$43,000 NJ State Grant to Support Year-round DWI Checkpoints in Middlesex County

by Jonathan F. Marshall

According to a recent news report, drivers in Middlesex County will see more drunk driving checkpoints, sometimes referred to as sobriety roadblocks, at all times of the year. The state of New Jersey has funded the operation of additional checkpoints with a $43,000 grant. Normally, the county would have sobriety roadblocks during certain holidays, however now it appears they will be a more permanent fixture.

As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I have represented numerous motorists who have received summonses or been arrested for drunk driving or breath test refusal. While these checkpoints may reduce the number of drunk driving arrests in an area over time, they also can result in people being falsely accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

This latest announcement shows that Middlesex County, NJ, will be expanding its holiday DWI checkpoint program to year-round enforcement. The program will be supported in part by a $43,000 grant from the state Office of Highway Traffic Safety. According to news reports, these DWI checkpoints are very costly to run mainly because they require police officers to work overtime, plus there are additional costs for setting up and maintaining the roadblocks over the course of an evening to the early morning hours.

October 9, 2009

NJ Drunk Driving News: “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” Could Heighten DWI Enforcement

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Drivers across the New Jersey area, including Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Atlantic counties, may see an increase in police presence on the state’s highways and surface streets during this coming Saturday, October 10. In a nationwide campaign known as “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day,” law enforcement agencies will be out in force looking for traffic violations and targeting zero fatalities for one full day. This effort may include sobriety checkpoints in various areas.

As a citizen of New Jersey, as well as a DWI defense attorney, I am always happy to see traffic deaths decrease. However, I know that some motorists can get a raw deal from local and state police during campaigns such as this. That is why I always encourage people arrested for drunk driving to contact a legal professional for advice and counsel.

According to news reports, “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day” will see police departments statewide emphasizing and enforcing all traffic laws, including seatbelt usage, obeying the posted speed limit, avoiding distractions such as cellphone use while driving, and not getting behind the well when intoxicated.

October 2, 2009

Monmouth Co., New Jersey Drunk Driving News: Sobriety Checkpoint in Holmdel Tonight

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As a New Jersey drunk driving lawyer, I constantly tell people who have been arrested for DWI or issued a summons for drunk driving or breath test refusal to retain the services of an experienced drunk driving defense lawyer. One of the most likely places to be pulled over for driving while intoxicated is a sobriety checkpoint, also known as a roadblock.

According to a news report, beginning tonight and running through Saturday morning the Monmouth County drunk driving task force, working together with New Jersey’s Highway Traffic Safety division, will be conducting a DWI checkpoint on the southbound side of Route 35 near Holmdel in Monmouth County. The roadblock will be set up to pull motorists over into the Dearborn Farms parking lot where members of the task force and officers from the Holmdel Police Department will determine drivers’ sobriety.

The checkpoint will be in operation from 11pm tonight until 3am Saturday morning.

September 30, 2009

Atlantic County Man with 0.00 Percent BAC Sues over Northfield Drunk Driving Charge

by Jonathan F. Marshall

A man initially arrested for DWI at a sobriety checkpoint in November 2008, the charges for which were dropped four months later, has sued for wrongful arrest. As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney, I have represented clients over the years who have faced similar circumstances. In the case of Tyrone Foxworth’s drunk driving arrest, the claimant says that Officer Kristina Ramsi falsely arrested the Somers Point man and caused him to be prosecuted in a malicious fashion, thus violating his rights under both the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution.

According to reports, this individual was still charged with drunk driving even after Foxworth’s blood alcohol content (BAC) registered a reading of 0.00 percent via a Breathalyzer test at the Northfield police station just 15 minutes following his arrest at the checkpoint. Police records show that no blood or urine was taken for a drug test at time, because there was no drug-recognition expert available that evening.

Based on news accounts, Foxworth was driving with two friends when his vehicle was flagged down at a multi-jurisdictional DWI checkpoint along Shore Road around 3am on Thanksgiving morning. As per standard procedures, every fifth vehicle was being flagged and pulled over, according to police. The complaint states that Foxworth was instructed to pull into a secondary check area by Absecon Officer James Laughlin.

September 19, 2009

Drunk Driving Checkpoint Scheduled in Monmouth County, NJ, Tonight

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Summer may be over, but New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies are still hard at work looking for motorists who are driving under the influence of alcohol (DWI) or drugs (DUI). A sobriety checkpoint is scheduled for this evening near Belmar, NJ. According to a news report, the Monmouth County drunk driving task force, with cooperation from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, will be pulling vehicles over between the hours of 11pm Saturday night and 3am Sunday morning along the southbound lanes of New Jersey’s Route 35 in Belmar.

As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I am very familiar with the police department’s use of sobriety checkpoints. Sometimes referred to as roadblocks, they are commonly used to identify drivers impaired by alcohol, or prescription or illegal drugs. As part of these sobriety roadblocks, police usually request drivers suspected of driving while intoxicated to take one or more field sobriety tests.

Also on hand is usually a breath-testing device, like the Alcotest machine, which is used to determine the specific amount of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. The legal blood-alcohol content (BAC) in New Jersey is 0.08 percent.

September 18, 2009

New Jersey DWI News: Hanover, Jefferson and Morris Township Police Blotter

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As we slowly transition to fall there is still a great deal of sunshine and warm evenings to enjoy. The persistence of weekend parties and late-night gatherings will likely result in numerous drunk driving arrests throughout the Garden State by local and state law enforcement officers. As a New Jersey DWI attorney, I make it a habit to warn friends and associates to drink responsibly and utilize the services of a designated driver whenever necessary.

Morris County communities were recently in the news regarding police reports of intoxicated drivers stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs, sometimes even illegal drugs. The following are some examples.

Hanover Township
A recent drunk driving checkpoint netted several drivers charged with DWI by the Hanover police between Thursday, September 3, and the following Friday. News reports describe a 47-year-old man from out of state who was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as being issued a motor vehicle summons for possession of drugs in a motor vehicle. A second driver, as 37-year-old Wharton resident was stopped and charged with DWI and driving with a suspended license. Finally, a 61-year-old driver from North Caldwell, NJ, was arrested for drunk driving, as well as reckless driving.

An East Hanover resident was arrested for DWI in the early morning hours after she was pulled over for making an illegal turn on Route 10. According to reports, the 27-year-old woman was arrested after failing several sobriety tests, after which she was taken to police headquarters for a breath test. She was released to a friend after receiving summonses for DWI and making an improper turn.

Jefferson Township
A 24-year-old Wantage resident was stopped by police after the woman’s car struck a guardrail on September 10. She was arrested by police and charged with driving while intoxicated, as well as receiving numerous motor vehicle summonses. Police reports show that the woman was taken to St. Clare’s-Dover Hospital to be treated for minor injuries and was released, pending a municipal court appearance.

A 20-yeal-old local resident was charged with DWI and underage drinking during a motor vehicle stop on Espanong Road on September 7. According to police, the young man was cited and released, pending a court appearance.
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August 28, 2009

Labor Day DWI Report: Drunk Driving Sobriety Checkpoint in Mercer County this Friday

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Drivers traveling near Lawrence Township in Mercer County this Friday evening should be aware that a drunk driving sobriety roadblock will be operating along Brunswick Pike until the early morning hours of Saturday, August 29. This DWI checkpoint is part of a state and nationwide campaign to identify and arrest individuals operating motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol.

The initiative, known as “Over the Limit, Under Arrest,” is targeting the roadways of New Jersey in an effort to pick up motorists driving with an illegal amount of alcohol in their system. The entire nationwide campaign is running from August 21 to September 7, through the Labor Day holiday.

As part of this campaign, the Lawrence Township Police Department has received funding through the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Law enforcement officers will be setting up a checkpoint on Brunswick Pike just south of Franklin Corner Road starting around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28. The DWI roadblock will be in operation until 4 a.m. Saturday.

August 21, 2009

NJ DWI Update: Morris County Police to Step Up Drunk Driving Patrols

by Jonathan F. Marshall

According to news reports, nearly two dozen Morris County police departments will begin to crack down on drunk drivers starting today. The concentrated effort focused on intoxicated drivers, which runs through Labor Day, is part of an annual national campaign known as “Over the Limit, Under Arrest.” As an experienced New Jersey DWI defense attorney, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a percentage of the arrests made during this initiative will involve drivers who do not deserve a drunk driving conviction on their record.

In Morris County, 21 individual police departments will be participating, including Butler, Chester Township, Jefferson, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham, Mount Olive, Netcong, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway, Washington Township and eight others.

As part of this national effort, which has continued annually since 1999, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides federally-funded grants in the amount of $6,000 to each participating police agency for the two-week program.