On July 16, the Portsmouth police held a checkpoint on the Spalding Turnpike, reports The Portsmouth Patch. The purpose of the sobriety checkpoint was to stop drivers temporarily so that police could examine them for signs of alcohol or drug intoxication. Even though police stopped over three hundred cars, however, the night’s arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) amounted to zero, as not a single person was arrested at the New Hampshire DUI checkpoint.
Portsmouth police stopped 339 drivers at the checkpoint during the three-and-a-half hours it was set up. Not one of the drivers whom police talked to at the checkpoint appeared to be intoxicated in any way, according to the Portsmouth Police Department.
Police who run sobriety checkpoints in NH often have special training in how to look for subtle clues that might indicate a person is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Some of these signs include a smell of alcohol, slurred speech, poor motor coordination, or an inability to respond to multiple questions or commands at once. If an officer at a sobriety checkpoint suspects a driver may be intoxicated, the officer may have the driver perform one or more field sobriety tests, such as walking a straight line heel-to-toe or standing on one foot.
Sobriety checkpoints are one of many methods police use to screen drivers for alcohol or drug intoxication, but none of these methods are foolproof. If you have been charged with a DUI, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced New Hampshire drunk driving lawyers at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. For a free telephone consultation, call our law offices today at (888) 332-5855.