The Tennessee Highway Patrol has announced plans to conduct sobriety (DUI) checkpoints over the holiday weekend from Thursday night to Sunday night. The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that sobriety checkpoints, often known as DUI roadblocks, are permissible under the Tennessee Constitution. In State v. Downey, the Court held that the prevention of drunk driving in Tennessee was enough of a compelling state interest to justify the intrusive nature of DUI checkpoints.
Although Tennessee’s high court has ruled that sobriety checkpoints are permitted, law enforcement agencies are still required to follow very particular policies and procedures when establishing and conducting DUI roadblocks. Should you have the misfortune of being stopped at a Tennessee DUI checkpoint and arrested or cited for DUI or any crime or traffic violation, you should immediately consult with a Tennessee attorney who is knowledgeable about the area of DUI defense law to determine if, in fact, the proper procedures were followed.
Please click here for a list of DUI roadblock locations across Tennessee.
#1 by College Station DWI Attorney – (979) 822-8533 – Philip C. Banks - July 22nd, 2009 at 13:34
In the Bryan / College Station area we had a no-refuse weekend, where if a DWI suspect refused to provide a specimen they would be forcibly restrained and a sample taken.