The department further expanded its concept to share the success of police agencies in arresting habitual offenders by publishing the Hot Sheet newsletter. At a sobriety checkpoint, police officers examine the license of every driver or a random sample of drivers. Checkpoints are also a good way to apprehend people driving with a suspended or revoked license due to a drunk-driving conviction. Sobriety checkpoints are clearly an effective deterrent against hardcore drunk driving. The more highly publicized, the better, because sobriety checkpoints serve as a very visible way to deter potential offenders as well as to catch violators.
Some states lack enabling legislation.
In Texas, checkpoints are widely supported by law enforcement but their usage has been blocked in the legislature. The legislature needs to work out legislation. They are a viable tool. We are looking at combining sobriety checkpoints with mobile videotaping to be able to show to the court that the sobriety checkpoint was run exactly the way it was mandated by the legislature and to show the initial contact of the officer, showing the officer stopping every one, three, or whatever is the designated number of cars. Blanket Patrols Specifically designed to identify drunk drivers, this enforcement method calls for a heavy concentration of police officers in one area, stopping cars in search of impaired drivers.