A few years back, one weekend our county was flooded with law enforcement agencies. Approximately 50 state troopers where pulled from their usual areas and check points were all over the place. I figured they were just looking for someone they really wanted and sluffed it off as nothing more.

The following week, it came out in the local paper it was what they called a 'Saturation'. All those old two lane blacktop roads, well traveled gravel roads and such had checkpoints. They filled the local hoosegow in short order with folks with warrants, drunk drivers, druggies...etc. Needless to say, the good ole' boy system did not apply that weekend...what a hoot!

Starting today, our county will once again have a saturation. But this time it has been heavily publicized by the local newspaper and local radio stations. LEO's from just about every imaginable agency in Oklahoma will be participating.

Friends, I don't mind the occasionaly suprise check point. But this time it feels different. All the publicity has people feeling we can be expect to encounter a checkpoint, or to be stopped for laws we didn't even know exist.

Guys, I'm cleaner than a hounds tooth. But this is giving me that old Big brother's out to get cha' feeling.

Your thoughts?

Murphy

Texas had a warrant round up a few weeks ago. They publicized it heavily on television, radio, and even billboards for a month before hand. The probably picked up Suzie Soccermom for an unpaid speeding ticket, but the hard core guys knew in advance when to lay up at an Oklahoma Casino for a week. No your Okie bad buys can come down here and enjoy Texas for a week until the advertised round up is over. It's all "hey I'm tough on law and order" very visible political posturing.

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Michigan State Police v. Sitz - 496 U.S. 444 (1990). U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring publication for stops lacking in reasonable suspicion. We have them here all the time. We also have the local law enforcement posting drug check lane ahead signs on I-35, then sitting at the next nearest exit waiting to see who gets off. When they do, the cops follow them until they see a traffic violation, then stop, and generally hold them till they get a consent to search.