Maryland: Were drunk drivers in Charlotte Hall were using an app to tell them all the Smokies were hanging out in one place?

Federal Police Officer assisted Maryland State Police and Charles Sheriff's Officers on Rt. 228 Waldorf sobriety checkpoint on Dec. 16, 2015. in memory of Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta who was killed in 2015 by a DUI driver.  THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

Federal Police Officer assisted Maryland State Police and Charles Sheriff’s Officers on Rt. 228 Waldorf sobriety checkpoint on Dec. 16, 2015. in memory of Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta who was killed in 2015 by a DUI driver. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

Were drunk drivers in Charlotte Hall were using an app to tell them all the Smokies were hanging out in one place?

CHARLOTTE HALL, MD.  What used to work a little bit doesn’t’ work at all anymore, but the Maryland State Police haven’t yet adjusted to the tech times of today. While the party hardy crowd who insist on driving drunk on public highways all have smart phones with apps to alert them to sobriety checkpoints, the cops, who also have smartphones, but apparently aren’t that smart, are still employing tactics developed before the internet was invented.

The result?

The Maryland State Police put on a sobriety checkpoint and didn’t net one single DUI arrest.

The Leonardtown Barrack of the Maryland State Police report the following:

On Saturday, August 27, 2016, from midnight until 2:14 am, The Maryland State Police- Leonardtown Barrack hosted a sobriety checkpoint, which is intended to detect and deter motorists from driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  The operation consisted of 13 Troopers from the Maryland State Police- Leonardtown Barrack and two (2) St. Mary’s County Sheriff Deputies.  The checkpoint was conducted on MD Rt. Five south of Mohawk Drive, Charlotte Hall, St. Mary’s County. The checkpoint focused on the Charlotte Hall area since it has been identified as a high occurrence area of DUI arrests and DUI related collisions.

During this operation, a total of 450 vehicles passed through the checkpoint.  Of the 450 vehicles, six (6) drivers were pulled to the testing area for sobriety testing and one probable cause search was conducted.

Additionally, twelve (12) vehicles were stopped for traffic violations in the Charlotte Hall area away from the checkpoint location.  Of those 12 vehicles, five (5) operators were placed through sobriety testing and one probable cause search was also conducted.

As a result of this operation, one subject was issued a civil citation for possessing marijuana less than 10 grams.

What works?

Saturation patrols.  With the number of officers used in the above effort, as many as a dozen DUI arrests could have been accomplished.

While some Apps have been deleted from various venues, Mr. Checkpoint is still available for Android devices and others are available on iTunes.  Customer reviews of Mr. Checkpoint show it is likely a much better deal to call Uber for a trip home than take a $10,000 walk down Drunk Driving Lane with a pricey attorney.

REVIEWS User reviews

Richard Fretz, May 18, 2015

Not worth crap

Does not work in my area or anywhere even close to me. Maybe you need to put a list of what areas it does cover in the description, so people don’t waste their time downloading and installing it.

Kc Smith, September 12, 2014

Doesn’t work

Doesn’t work unless I’m at home on WiFi, even then it takes several attempts to get past the home screen. I’ve only made it past a couple of times, and only locations in CA show up

Brandon Fowler

isn’t working

Every time I try to do anything with the app, it automatically goes back to the home screen, please help! I’ve heard a lot of good things about your app, and I want to jump on the bandwagon so please help

Donald Glumm, April 21, 2014

Sucks bad

Doesn’t even work. Always goes back to the main screen. Don’t waste your time

Wendy Lopez December 27, 2013

Love it

U have helped me a lot even though I don’t drive, lol is really helpful cause I let my honey and family know about the checkpoints.

Some law enforcement agencies point to the positive reaction from the public about the checkpoints and strong public support for them to continue while acknowledging that saturation patrols are the only effective way to remove impaired drivers from public roadways.

The booze droids, as shown above, believe they have the right to maim and kill and they don’t care who gets in their way.  Of course, for them to simply slam into an oak tree when driving by themselves without anyone else being involved, is Darwin’s theory at work, and the sooner they exit life, the better for everyone else.

 

Officer Noah Leotta Memorial Sobriety Checkpoint on 121615 on Rt. 228 Waldorf Md.

The booze droids, as shown above, believe they have the right to maim and kill and they don’t care who gets in their way.