Coming to a city near you.....  The American Civil Liberties Union and pro-illegal alien activists are calling for the firing of Police Chief Jim Maher of Escondido.   (San Diego Union-Tribune-  SDUT)  Escondido is one of many cities which has been utilizing the drivers license and sobriety checkpoints in their cities to enforce regulations and keep people safe on the roads.  Seems the ACLU et. al. have a problem with this and are pulling out the "race card" because every other argument they have used has failed.

Why they are targeting Escondido is anybody's guess, but chances are this political road show will be coming to your community in the near future.  Calling the checkpoints an instrument of racial profiling, the opponents are targeting the police chief because of Escondido's strong support of the police and the checkpoints.  The public overwhelmingly supports getting the unlicensed driviers off the roads for the protection of society.  To say this is a racial issue is bogus and ridiculous.  

Escondido has had one of the highest numbers of hit-and-run incidents in the county, with well over 600 in the past, but the success of the checkpoints has reduced that number down to the 400's.  The city holds approximately 30+ DUI/License checkpoints during the course of the year.  These checkpoints are necessary to enforce the LAW,  it is not about hurt feelings or false accusations of racial targeting.   In fact, the cities of Vista, Oceanside and Poway have also conducted checkpoints with joint cooperation between agencies with much success.

I have attended a few of the nighttime checkpoints and I can testify there is no way you can see who is driving a vehicle in the headlight glare until they have gotten up real close - already well past the point of deciding who enters the checkpoint and who drives through.  In fact, you cannot even tell if it is a man or woman driving, old or young, etc. until they have driven well into the checkpoint area.

These accusations and intimidation tactics of the ACLU and illegal alien activist supporters is nothing more than a media attention getter aimed at muddying the waters of reasonable debate with the tired argument of racism when all else fails.  This smokescreen cannot hide the fact that enforcing the law is not discriminatory and the truth wins.

Why the ACLU is targeting Escondido?   Maybe because the strong support for the police checkpoints by the city council is waning?  I hope not.  With the election of democrat Olga Diaz, the ACLU may feel they have a chance at changing policy.  That remains to be seen.  I venture to guess what other less-committed city council's will do when the ACLU comes a-marchin' in.