RCMP set to begin mandatory breathalyzers for drivers pulled over in Saskatchewan - Anyone pulled over for a traffic violation such as speeding, or broken taillights will now be required to take a breathalyzer.

Article (Saskatoon Star Phoenix)
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Saskatchewan RCMP are going to start using their breathalyzers every time they pull someone over.

The police service announced Thursday in a media release that effective April 1, officers will begin checking all drivers for alcohol during traffic stops.

The policy builds on changes introduced to the federal Criminal Code in 2018, which gave police the authority to require breath samples from drivers without having to first prove a reasonable suspicion of impairment.

“It goes without saying that someone’s ability to mask their impairment should not be the determining factor if someone gets home safely to their family each night,” RCMP Supt. Grant St. Germaine said in the release.

The release states that officers will not be pulling drivers over for the sole purpose of checking them for impairment. Rather, the policy would see drivers asked to provide a breath sample when pulled over for other potential violations, such as speeding, careless driving or malfunctioning brake lights.

The policy is reportedly meant to help address Saskatchewan’s high rates of impaired driving; RCMP in the province laid over 1700 impaired driving charges in 2023, and alcohol was involved in over one-third of all fatal collisions, the release stated.

A breathalyzer test generally takes about 90 seconds. Drivers who refuse to provide a breath sample can face a criminal charge, with potential penalties including suspension of their driver’s licence, vehicle impoundment, demerit points on their driving record and fines.

The RCMP have announced that the policy of demanding roadside breath tests in the course of all traffic stops will continue on “an on-going basis.” The Regina Police Service previously announced its officers would be checking for alcohol during all routine traffic stops for the month of March.

Saskatchewan courts have previously ruled mandatory alcohol screening of drivers is permissible under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

 

[Flan Handler]

And what recourse do you really have if the cops have a quota to fill and just make it up? People have been wrongfully imprisoned for decades because the prosecution coerced witnesses to perjure themselves for a conviction.

Exactly. I don’t drink and drive, I don’t think anyone should. But if the cops decide they don’t like me, they have carte blanche to go fishing for anything they can pin on me.

Like, give me a ticket for my burnt out taillight and let me go on my way. But, as a sober person being forced to interact more with the cops while they take their time breathalyzing me, they can try to get me to admit to something, or look in my vehicle for anything else that will get me on a government watch list.

Besides, this seems like an extralegal way to get someone’s DNA if you are investigating another crime but you don’t have enough evidence to get a warrant.

I just want nothing to do with them.

 

[Lobster Cult High Priest]

The writing was on the wall when they started kitting out police with enormous amounts of military equipment. Where did people think their loyalties would lie after this? Their fellow citizens or the state showering them with grants, APCs, and guns? It's a lot easier to be a soulless weapon of state power when your face is concealed behind a shield and heavy body armor.

Burn, loot and murder? No problem, COVID doesn't spread in riots the Science says so. God help you if you wanted to visit a family member in the hospital, go to church or the gym, or the beach, or even mow your lawn though. All for a fucking flu.

Battlestar Galactica (2000s remake) has a good quote on that.

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state. The other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."

 

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

I don't think anyone has an issue with catching and arresting drunk drivers, the issue is giving the government more power to search for and find crimes without probable cause. If there was no evidence of impairment to support probable cause, what justification is there to administer a breathalyzer for a minor traffic violation?

On top of the civil rights violations and the retarded use of expensive police resources, this is yet another example of Current Year approaches to societal problems: making universal and mandatory laws without nuance or discretion.

Problem: Too many natives driving drunk at night on rural farm roads and highways.

Solution: Mandatory breathalyzer tests for ALL situations for EVERYONE at ALL times.

Anyone with even a cursory appreciation of Bayesian principles knows that there are rapidly diminishing returns to applying a test with reckless abandon.

And this is coming from arguably the most right-leaning provincial government in the country.

 

[Lobster Cult High Priest]

On top of the civil rights violations and the retarded use of expensive police resources, this is yet another example of Current Year approaches to societal problems: making universal and mandatory laws without nuance or discretion.

Problem: Too many natives driving drunk at night on rural farm roads and highways.

Solution: Mandatory breathalyzer tests for ALL situations for EVERYONE at ALL times.

Anyone with even a cursory appreciation of Bayesian principles knows that there are rapidly diminishing returns to applying a test with reckless abandon.

And this is coming from arguably the most right-leaning provincial government in the country.

Equality is treating everyone like Niggers. Always has been.