On this blog, we have written several times about the Athens-Clarke Police Department setting up roadside checkpoints. But why do these checkpoints get set up in the first place, and what are the officers looking for?

A lieutenant with the Athens police recently said these checkpoints are established to make sure that drivers in and around Athens have valid drivers' licenses, are not intoxicated and are keeping their vehicles in good working order, including maintaining safety equipment like traffic lights. DUI and safety belt use are the two biggest priorities, he said.

About 1.4 percent of drivers stopped at such checkpoints are arrested for DUI. In the last five roadblocks, that has amounted to about 18 DUI arrests. There does not seem to be any readily discernible pattern as to the time of day in which DUI arrests are made.

The lieutenant went on to say that checkpoints are most often established when the department has available manpower. Interestingly enough, he also said the average age of a person arrested in Clarke County on suspicion for DUI is 30. The fact that Athens is such a college town would lead one to believe the average age would be lower, but the chief of police said that impression is not borne out by the data.

If you ever get into trouble at a police checkpoint, it might not hurt to run what happened by a criminal defense attorney, just to make sure the officers you encountered did everything correctly. Police officers certainly deserve our respect, but it is not disrespectful to make sure that they are following the rules.

Source: The Athens Red and Black, "Only 18 DUI arrests made during the previous five police checkpoints," Megan Ernst, Jan. 17, 2012