A sampling of drivers at a San Rafael traffic checkpoint this weekend indicated few were aware of controversy surrounding the program - and none seemed annoyed at the inconvenience.
"I just got up from a nap, so I'm not doing anything," said Kelly Knapp, 21, of San Rafael.
"If you're not doing anything wrong, it's not a hassle, is it?" said Kevin Przybylko, a 21-year-old San Rafael resident on his way to dinner at Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers.
The checkpoint, set up in the 1600 block of Lincoln Avenue, was the latest in a series of state-funded police crackdowns on drunken and unlicensed drivers. Critics say the checkpoints, particularly those in the Canal neighborhood, are unfairly aimed at undocumented immigrants.
San Rafael police say the checkpoints have been fair and spread throughout the city. In traffic checkpoints, state law requires police to stop drivers through a neutral, bias-free formula, such as every third driver or every fifth driver.
San Rafael police meet the requirement by stopping every driver, except when periodic traffic problems force them to keep vehicles moving, spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said. One San Rafael man reported driving through the checkpoint three times and being stopped twice.
The checkpoint began about 6:40 p.m. Friday, and by the time it ended about 1 a.m. Saturday, 27 officers and other personnel had screened 1,818 vehicles, and waved another 15 on through to ease traffic. Five drivers were booked into jail, including
four for driving under the influence. Three of those booked were driving with a suspended license or no license, Rohrbacher said. In addition, 10 other drivers were cited for driving without a license, three for driving with a suspended license, and one for making an illegal U-turn in an attempt to avoid the checkpoint. Eighteen cars were towed, including 16 that were impounded.
Drivers were detained for a few seconds while police asked to see a driver's license and checked for signs of intoxication. Then they were sent on their way, with an informational flier in English and Spanish.
"Many people made positive comments" about the checkpoint program, Rohrbacher reported.
"That was pretty painless," said Adrienne Moran, a Novato resident who had never been through a checkpoint. "It was fine. It's a good idea to cut down on the drinking and driving."
Police stopped vehicles in both directions on Lincoln Avenue, and large advisory signs in English and Spanish were visible as drivers approached the checkpoint. The signs gave drivers enough notice to avoid the checkpoint by taking side streets, although that is not a legal requirement, Rohrbacher said.
One Lincoln Avenue resident who declined to be named said he applauded the checkpoints because his 93-year-old grandmother was once struck by an unlicensed, undocumented 21-year-old driver.
He said that the city's "welcome mat" for undocumented immigrants is ruining its businesses and schools.
"I have to drive in the É Canal and there's people who shouldn't be driving," said the contractor, 61. "Not that I have anything against them personally," he added.
Victoria Davis, a 19-year-old Dominican University student, expressed sympathy for the immigrant experience, but said unlicensed drivers were a "pet peeve."
"You're here illegally, that's your business, but everyone should have a license in a car," she said.