In Colorado, the state legislature used to have a separate funding line to support having DUI checkpoints. That funding expired a decade ago and was not renewed, so the number of checkpoints has diminished greatly.
Checkpoints had stopped due to lack of funding
A Westminster city police officer told us a couple of years ago that DUI checkpoints are expensive and don’t result in many arrests. Their benefit is public awareness, but that doesn’t always justify the resources. So instead of the checkpoints, their department participates in multi-jurisdictional “Saturation Patrols” in partnership with other law enforcement agencies. They have found that this is a more efficient use of resources.
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) also did not do checkpoints for over ten years. The state legislature has not renewed funding for the checkpoints, and significant financial resources are required to do them safely and effectively. However, they did just have some checkpoints again this summer in June.
Checkpoints this summer
A recent 9news story reported that law enforcement conducted a large checkpoint in August outside of Blackhawk. There were 50 officers involved, as well as people from Colorado Department of Transportation, the DAs office, ambulances, and victim advocates. This effort resulted in 28 people doing roadside sobriety tests, but only 6 arrests. Similar to what the Westminster PD officer said, the CSP told us that the primary purpose of the checkpoints is not to make arrests but to promote public safety by discouraging motorists from driving impaired.
All checkpoints need to be announced
At this time, CSP does not have any additional sobriety checkpoints scheduled. If they do plan additional checkpoints later this year, in order to comply with the law, they will be publicly announced via a press release to statewide media, and they will put up social posts on Facebook, Instagram, and X. At the checkpoint, they also have to post warning signs on the road to give drivers the chance to turn around.
While there are differing opinions on the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints, everyone involved agrees that it is important to have efforts to reduce impaired drivers on the road. Whether you are going up to gamble in Blackhawk or meeting friends down the street from where you live, make sure to have a plan for getting home safely.