The Tennessee Highway Patrol has announced new dates for drivers license checkpoints in Rutherford County.  A seatbelt checkpoint and a sobriety checkpoint will be conducted on May 24th and May 26th. WGNS will announce the locations as we near the dates.

We have received numerous emails and phone calls in the past asking,  “Why do police inform the public about these checkpoints?” Trooper Scott Miller stated…

As counter intuitive as it may seem, Law enforcement agencies are required to disclose the location of sobriety checkpoints before they occur.

More in this Subject:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a number of suggested guidelines for law enforcement agencies to follow when conducting a sobriety checkpoint. You can view that list of suggestions on WGNSradio.com.

According to a recent court case in Ohio, (State of Ohio v. Williams), the courts suggested law enforcement notify the general public about upcoming checkpoints to avoid an intrusion of privacy. Other court cases have suggested similar public notice measures of checkpoints. 

Source:

THP Trooper Scott Miller
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin.
Ohio Court Case v. Williams