Reminder: Portsmouth DWI Checkpoint This Week

PORTSMOUTH, NH — Portsmouth police will hold a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in the city this week. Police announced the checkpoint Monday. The date and location were not divulged, per usual police policy. The checkpoint was approved by a Rockingham County Superior Court judge.

"Sobriety Checkpoints have had proven success in the apprehension of drunk drivers in Portsmouth ... and elsewhere," Portsmouth police Chief Robert Merner said in a statement. "We are confident that these upcoming checkpoints will be no exception."

The checkpoint was originally scheduled for last month but it was canceled due to heavy rain.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving's New Hampshire chapter has endorsed such checkpoints.

Merner added, "Motorists are forewarned that we will make every effort to apprehend drunk drivers and ask that patrons of bars and restaurants in the Seacoast make the right choice: use designated drivers, cabs or call a friend; when you drink and drive you risk your life and put others' lives in danger."

Drivers who attempt to avoid the checkpoint could still be pulled over if they commit a traffic violation like crossing the double-yellow line for a U-turn in view of officers.

Police maintain checkpoints are an important deterrent; critics say they are unreasonable searches that violate citizens' rights. A group of New Hampshire Republicans earlier this year introduced a bill that would ban checkpoints in the state altogether.

Drunk-driving checkpoints have been conducted by police agencies across nearly every corner of the Granite State in recent years. Under current policies, police are required to obtain a judge's approval for a checkpoint and publicize it in the media before holding one. The checkpoints are usually held late at night; police select drivers and engage them in conversation while watching for signs of impairment. Both state police and local police agencies have conducted in recent years.

Last year, Missouri lawmakers eliminated funding for sobriety checkpoints after concerns over their effectiveness, according to The Associated Press.

Related:

• NH DWI Checkpoints Would End Under New Bill
• NH DWI Checkpoint Nets 6 Arrests: Police

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