Police officers from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with officers from the North Dakota Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in Cass County sometime between Monday and April 2, the sheriff’s office announced through a press release.

No specific time or location has been given for the checkpoint.

“The primary goal of a sobriety checkpoint is to educate and deter impaired driving. Proactive measures, such as sobriety checkpoints, along with continued cooperation and support of the motoring public, all contribute to safer travel throughout Cass County and decrease the potential for serious crashes that can occur on our roadways,” the press release said.

Rights to know

The National Motorist’s Association said motorists should be cooperative with officers at checkpoints to not give officers probable cause to pull over individuals. Upon initial contact with the roadblock, however, citizens may politely refuse to answer any of the officer’s questions.

“Moreover, a driver never has to consent to a police search of his or her person or vehicle, but, the police may make such a search even without the driver’s consent when either: 1) they have probable cause to believe the vehicle contains contraband or the fruits or instrumentalities of a crime; 2) when the driver has been placed under arrest; or 3) they may make a visual inspection of the inside passenger compartment from the officer’s position outside the vehicle, to observe illegal articles in plain view,” NMA said.

If officers move to detain you, ask why you are being detained or if you are free to go. NMA said an example of how to assert rights at a checkpoint is telling a police officer “If I am not under arrest, I want to leave. If I am free to leave, please tell me immediately so that I may go about my business.”

A full list of examples of exerting rights can be found here.

To avoid problems

The best and safest way to avoid any problems involving police checkpoints aside from abstaining from driving is to drive sober.

Please, think of your fellow Bison family members and drive responsibly.