Although most cities in California routinely conduct DUI police checkpoints, Escondido’s semimonthly checkpoints have garnered national attention due to the high number of illegal aliens drivers they have caught driving without licenses.
Last Saturday’s DUI & drivers license checkpoint showed this examiner first hand why these checkpoints are so despised by illegal aliens and their supporters.
As they do with every checkpoint, Escondido Police kept the location of the scheduled checkpoint secret until about 4pm, two hours before the start. The checkpoints are conducted at random locations throughout this large suburban city of about 145,000 residents. Last week's check was in the suburbs of western Escondido. As the checkpoint swung into action, the officers appeared organized and efficient as they set up traffic cones, lights, and a mobile command trailer.
The secondary inspection area was set up on a side street just north of the primary checkpoint on the main thoroughfare of West Valley Parkway. Police reduced eastbound traffic down to one lane and began checking random vehicles for drunk drivers and valid drivers licenses. Just minutes after the operation began, the call of “secondary” rang out from the main inspection line to the dozen or so officers on the side street to alert them that they had a driver with no license coming their way for further inspection. The first catch of the night was a small red pickup truck with 3 Latino men in it and packed full of their tools and work equipment in the truck bed. After the driver parked his truck in the designated area, an EPD officer came over and ran his name through his portable DMV database to see if he had a valid drivers license. As is common at these checkpoints, the computer check came back “no license”. The officers filled out a citation and paperwork for impounding the vehicle while the driver called a friend to come pick them up along with all their tools. When the friend arrived in another pickup truck, a bystander asked him why the cited driver was driving without a license. He responded, “he can’t get one”.
Within 20 minutes, the truck was loaded onto one of five waiting tow trucks and hauled off to the impound lot. The men seemed dejected at getting caught, but not upset. The driver obviously knew he was driving illegally and knew that his truck would be impounded if he was caught.
By the time that first truck was loaded onto the tow truck, 5 other cars had been diverted to the secondary inspection area. And so began a steady flow of cars driven by drivers without licenses. All in all, 10 illegal drivers were cited and their vehicles impounded by 9 pm with the operation still scheduled to last another four hours. At least 8 of the 10 drivers were Latino. One driver was a middle aged woman in a bright colored sports car – likely driving on a suspended license. How many of the Latino drivers cited were in the country illegally is anyone’s guess. Escondido PD does not currently have ICE or Border Patrol check the immigration status of the illegal drivers they catch and cite. One officer speculated based on his experience that most of them were likely illegal aliens. He said privately that Escondido is infested with unlicensed illegal alien drivers, despite nearly five years of regular safety checkpoints in the city. That could explain why Escondido ranks 3rd in the state per capita for hit and run traffic collisions and 6th for fatal and injury traffic collisions. But the numbers have been steadily improving every year. At one checkpoint in Escondido in 2009, 90 motorists were caught without a valid drivers license. The final results for this most recent checkpoint were 14 total caught driving illegally.
The officers at the checkpoint Saturday night were motivated, professional, and courteous. They seemed very proud that their checkpoints are removing many unsafe drivers and making the streets of Escondido at least a little safer. The officers even handed out a tri-fold information brochure (see slideshow) explaining the purpose of the checkpoints to everyone who passed through the primary check.
While many cities are bowing to political pressure from “Latino activists” not to enforce certain laws, it appears that Escondido is being proactive in dealing with the problem of unlicensed and illegal alien drivers in their city. The rule of law is being restored through tough enforcement. Based on EPD results from their safety checkpoints, their efforts have undoubtedly saved many lives over the past few years.
Comments