2/11/08-A bill has died that called for allowing law enforcement to set up sobriety checkpoints.
Sponsored by Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, HB2771 failed to come up for a vote in the House Judiciary Committee prior to the deadline to advance to the chamber floor, effectively killing it for the year.
The bill sought to require jurisdictions to first apply for warrants. Applications would have listed specific locations with a high number of crashes related to driving under the influence. Cities, counties or the state patrol also would have had to advertise checkpoints locations, dates and times.
The legislation would have required judges to approve warrants if the plan “advances the jurisdiction’s interest in reducing impaired driving, taking into account potential arrests under the program and the program’s deterrent effect.”
All vehicles, or a designated sequence – such as every fourth vehicle – would have been required to stop at checkpoints. Failure to stop could have resulted in $5,000 fines and one year in prison.