What is the purpose of police road blocks?

Regarding the activities conducted by local and state law enforcement on Friday in Bonners Ferry, which was ostensibly a drug interception, I found this: Sixth,” …the Supreme Court has upheld brief, warrantless seizures at fixed roadside checkpoints aimed at intercepting illegal ALIENS (see United States v. Martinez-Fuerte, 96 S.Ct. 3074, 428 U.S. 543, 49 L.Ed.2d 1116 [1976]) and drunk drivers (see Michigan v. Sitz, 110 S.Ct. 2481, 496 U.S. 444, 110 L.Ed.2d 412 [1990]).

Both checkpoint programs passed constitutional muster because they were tailored to remedying specific problems that law enforcement could not effectively address through more traditional means, namely problems relating to policing the nation’s border and ensuring roadway safety. However, when the primary purpose of a checkpoint is simply to detect ordinary criminal activity, the Supreme Court has declared it violative of the Fourth Amendment (see Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U.S. 32, 121 S.Ct. 447, 148 L.Ed.2d 333 [2000]).”

DAN STRAYER

Bonners Ferry