Police say syringes will help stop drunk driving

[thundley4]

It's an AP article on Yahoo. 

I'm not so sure that I like the idea of police officers trying to draw blood from a person who has already refused a breathalyser test . I've seen trained professionals have trouble withdrawing blood from a cooperative person. Why not, just make it so the only place for the person to go the bathroom is in a sterile container to get a urine sample. Better yet, just make the penalties for refusing a breathalyser test just as severe as the DUI?

[rich_t]

Here in Ohio, refusal to take the breathalyser test results in an automatic one year DL supsension.

[LC EFA]

Here in Ohio, refusal to take the breathalyser test results in an automatic one year DL supsension.

Same here in Queensland. Refusal to give a sample results in immediate license suspension (they deal with it the same as a high level offense of 0.15%+ BAC). The duration of the suspension to be determined by the court.

[RightCoast]

Officers can't hold down a suspect and force them to breath into a tube, she noted, but they can forcefully take blood — a practice that's been upheld by Idaho's Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lleu]

Something we agree on!!  Personally I think that randomly stopping individuals or setting up check points should be outlawed.  If the police has reasonable suspicion fine, if not then to bad!

[RightCoast]

Random stops are fine - IMHO. But how the hell can they forcefully draw blood if they can't forcefully draw breath??

[rich_t]

It's an AP article on Yahoo. 

I'm not so sure that I like the idea of police officers trying to draw blood from a person who has already refused a breathalyser test . I've seen trained professionals have trouble withdrawing blood from a cooperative person. Why not, just make it so the only place for the person to go the bathroom is in a sterile container to get a urine sample. Better yet, just make the penalties for refusing a breathalyser test just as severe as the DUI?

Welcome to Police State 2009.

[Chris_]

Something we agree on!!  Personally I think that randomly stopping individuals or setting up check points should be outlawed.  If the police has reasonable suspicion fine, if not then to bad!

It's not random.  They stop everyone at the check point.

[thundley4]

It's not random.  They stop everyone at the check point.

Not always.  I've seen some checkpoints here , where they will only flag every 4th or 5th car or some other random number.

[Chris_]

Not always.  I've seen some checkpoints here , where they will only flag every 4th or 5th car or some other random number.

I thought they picked all the ones with Ooooobama bumper stickers.   

[thundley4]

I thought they picked all the ones with Ooooobama bumper stickers.   

That would be a little difficult since the stickers are on the back bumper. I guess they could have spotters picking the cars from behind.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Not always.  I've seen some checkpoints here , where they will only flag every 4th or 5th car or some other random number.

Surprisingly enough, the city of Chicago did that at least once.  About 10 years ago, I got off on Irving Park from the Kennedy, and they were randomly picking cars/people to take field sobriety tests.

[IassaFTots]

Surprisingly enough, the city of Chicago did that at least once.  About 10 years ago, I got off on Irving Park from the Kennedy, and they were randomly picking cars/people to take field sobriety tests.

A million thousand years ago they did that in Dallas a few times.