Roadblocks and Sobriety Checkpoints
When can police set up roadblocks or sobriety checkpoints?
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Roadblocks are "seizures" under the Fourth Amendment, but they are not subject to the normal requirement of probable cause.
Roadblocks and Sobriety Checkpoints
Police may legally stop motorists as long as they don't target specific drivers.
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When Can Police Set Up Roadblocks?
Roadblocks aren't legal if police are allowed to stop drivers based on a hunch. -
Sobriety Checkpoints
The need to provide for highway safety, by getting drunk drivers off the road, trumps the normal need for probable cause.
Common Questions
Sometimes roadblocks turn up unexpected evidence.
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Can the police ticket me for something other than the purpose of the roadblock?
As long as the roadblock was legal, what the officers see in plain view is fair game. -
The police ran a roadblock, to ask drivers about a recent accident. Was the roadblock legal?
Informational roadblocks are permissible.
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