Hey, who you calling an idiot?

About a minute after I posted the previous item about the driver's license checkpoint in Gardena, I got this comment from William Smith:

"What type of public service is this by warning offenders that they will
be cited?

With so may illegal drivers on our roads all you are doing is giving
them a free get out of jail card.

Great job you idiot."

May I respond, Mr. Smith?

I don't mind if you ask me a question or comment on my reporting, but don't write in and call me names. (Sticks and stones.)

We have answered people's questions on this issue time and again. Here it is once more:

The California Supreme Court used to require police to publicize sobriety checkpoints before they could hold them. It was called "advance publicity." We used to run the notices for free as a public service.

A number of years ago, the court reversed itself on that requirement. Police, however, continue to call us and ask us to publicize the information. They believe the information about sobriety checkpoints is a deterrent for drunken driving. They also take the news reports from the paper and Web into court to show judges that the information was publicized and drivers should have known better.

Officers apply the same logic to driver's license checkpoints.They figure if you know they conduct checkpoints, and you might lose your car for 30 days, you'll go get a license.

Here's a little extra background:  That item on Wednesday's checkpoint was posted today about two minutes after I got off the phone with Gardena police Officer Sergio Borbon, who asked me to publicize it. I typed it as I spoke to him.

Thanks for reading the blog.