Expect to be pulled over and to take a breathalyzer test at check stops – Lethbridge Police Service
LETHBRIDGE – Saturday evening around 9:30 p.m. Lethbridge Police set up one of their first check stops since stricter impaired driving laws came into effect Dec. 18, giving police across the country the authority to demand a breathalyzer test from anyone they choose, regardless of whether they display signs of impairment.
The speed with which LPS set up their check-stop is remarkable. A police truck pulls over to the side of Scenic Drive South just before 9:30 p.m. and puts some markers down on the road. Within minutes, about half a dozen other marked and unmarked vehicles pull ahead of the truck, angle park about 15 feet apart- taking up the slow lane for about the length of a city block, and several “stalls” are quickly created to pull over drivers.
Acting Sgt. Brent Paxman says in a given night, they can pull over between 400 and 500 vehicles. And because there are several areas created for drivers to pull into, he says everyone pulled over should expect to be asked to take a breathalyzer test.
“We stop as many (vehicles) as we can. So if you’re in line, if an officer is free, they’re going to wave in the next vehicle. If for some reason all the officers are busy, then those vehicles can slowly go by, until an officer can pull them in.”