DUI Blog

On Saturday June 3, 2009 Beverly, Massachusetts police pulled over twenty seven cars through the authority of a sobriety checkpoint. Ultimately twelve people were arrested and charged with DUI. The roadblock operated from eleven Saturday night to three in the morning.  Their cases are pending in the Salem District Court.   Sobriety checkpoints have been used by State and local police in order to catch suspected drunken drivers.  The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has approved these sobriety checkpoints, provided that the police adhere to certain requirements.  There are guidelines in place regarding setting up, implementing and monitoring the checkpoints in order to assure that the police do not deviate from consitutional requirements.  Should the police fail to adhere to the requirements, the court could order the evidence derived from the stop suppressed, which will typically result in the dismissal of the complaint.