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SLOPD adds DUI cop

November 18, 2013

carThe San Luis Obispo Police Department added a position dedicated solely to catching and arresting drivers under the influence of alcohol.

New DUI enforcement officer Tim Koznek made six DUI arrest in his first two nights of work earlier this month, according to the police department.

“Each DUI arrest is a potential tragedy averted,” Police Chief Steve Gesell said in a news release. “This officer’s primary purpose is to hunt those that choose to endanger themselves and others by getting behind the wheel impaired.”

The department received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to fund the position and selected Koznek for the role. Koznek previously received several Mothers Against Drunk Drivers awards as a SLOPD officer.

A recent Office of Traffic Safety study of California cities with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 found that San Luis Obispo ranked 18th out of 93 cities in having the most alcohol related crashes.

Koznek works nighttime hours on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

 


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I fully support the pursuit and arrest of impaired drivers. The issue I have with SLOPD is their overzealous pursuit of drivers whom they don’t even necessarily suspect of driving drunk. They will pull over anybody driving in the early morning hours, without regard for probable cause, and make up excuses for the detainment. The broken taillight, brake light, license plate light, etc. are the most common reasons given during an illegal stop. Do not think for a moment that your 4th amendment rights are not being violated here. Always record your interactions with law enforcement. Be forthcoming and polite about it, but as public servants, everything they do during the course of their duties is subject to scrutiny. As long as their activities and investigations are not being hampered or obstructed, it is completely within your rights to record the interaction. There are even cameras that you can install in your vehicle that record on a loop, so if and when something happens, like an accident, you can save the latest recording and use it as evidence.


These statements I am making are not speculation. I have many late night visitors over to my house to watch movies, play poker, etc., who leave completely sober at 1 or 2am and at least 5-6 of them have been pulled over in the past year, all for broken taillights, of which there were none in actuality. One cop went so far as to follow the driver completely across town before making the stop.


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