The Portsmouth city police announced recently that the sobriety checkpoint that had been scheduled for June 27 was being rescheduled for the weekend of July 16, according to a recent news report from the Seacoast Online. The checkpoint was canceled in June because of thunderstorms.
City police will work together with troopers from the New Hampshire Highway Patrol to stop cars at the checkpoint and speak to each driver. Police are looking for signs that drivers may be driving under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances. Increased police patrols will also be driving around the Seacoast area during the weekend, watching drivers for signs that they may not have their vehicles under proper control, which may lead to a traffic stop and an examination for signs of inebriation.
The sobriety checkpoint and additional patrols are being funded by a grant from the state Department of Highway Safety to the Portsmouth Police Department. Although the New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled that sobriety checkpoints are legal, state law requires police departments to seek approval for a checkpoint from the New Hampshire Superior Court before initiating one.
Sobriety checkpoints are intended to catch drunk drivers, but the wide net they cast can also capture people who aren’t intoxicated. If you’ve been charged with a DUI in New Hampshire as the result of a sobriety checkpoint stop, the knowledgeable New Hampshire sobriety checkpoint defense lawyers at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. can help. For a free and confidential telephone consultation, call us today at (603) 614-5055.