Susan Moore: Gosh, why would an alcohol lobbyist slam DUI checkpoints?

Re “Enough with DUI checkpoints” (Letters, May 29): Sarah Longwell of the American Beverage Institute in Washington D.C. took the time to send a letter to The Modesto Bee before Memorial Day to complain that our city’s DUI Checkpoints are a waste of time, criticizing our “lack of results.”

Longwell is a lobbyist for corporations that bottle and sell liquor. Of course she would complain; DUI checkpoints cause people to think before driving under the influence. She states that DUI checkpoint pre-announcements and the flashing lights on the road actually clue drunk drivers into the locations, influencing them to take an alternate route. Could it be, that the program is working and that is why drunk drivers are not being arrested at checkpoints?

She even suggests that drivers learn where the checkpoints will be and then choose an alternate route to get where they are going while under the influence. The police are very well aware of this practice, and that is why they establish coverage on the “escape” routes.

I am fed up with corporate lobbyists, particularly this one, who has gone so far as to criticize our police department’s “ineffective enforcement.”

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Susan Moore: Gosh, why would an alcohol lobbyist slam DUI checkpoints?."