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Texas County Will Use Twitter To Publish Drunk Drivers' Names

Posted by timothy on from the only-animal-that-blushes dept.

alphadogg contributes this snippet from Network World: "If you get busted for drunk driving in Montgomery County, Texas, this holiday season, your neighbors may hear about it on Twitter. That's because the local district attorney's office has decided to publish the names of those charged with driving while intoxicated between Christmas and New Year's Eve. County Vehicular Crimes Prosecutor Warren Diepraam came up with the idea as a way of discouraging residents from getting behind the wheel while drunk. 'It's not a magic bullet that's going to end DWIs, but it's something to make people think twice before they get behind the wheel of a car and drive while they're intoxicated,' he said."

5 of 301 comments (clear)

  1. The Denton Texas Police Department Already does by mark076h · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Denton Texas Police Department already does this, you can follow them on twitter here http://twitter.com/DentonPolicE

  2. Re:What? No Due Process? by pinkocommie · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://news.cnet.com/Breathalyzer-source-code-must-be-disclosed/2100-1028_3-5931553.html Florida police can't use electronic breathalyzers as courtroom evidence against drivers unless the innards are disclosed, a state court ruled Wednesday.

  3. things have changed re drunk driving. by stimpleton · · Score: 3, Informative

    I am from New Zealand but I presume attitudes are similar in other countries.

    20 years ago driving drunk was pretty much ignored by police and "as long as the car knew its way home" things were fine. I would imagine "young'uns" must really find this hard to imagine, but there was really nothing seen as wrong with DUI. You just did.

    Within 1/2 my lifetime(1/4 for some), the subject has gone from being seen as harmless, and perhaps something to laugh over at monday morning coffee to seeing a person caught going into custody, then potentialy jail, fines, loss of license, but more over, the social stigma, and potential job loss.

    I do not drink and drive any more, as I can see the logic of not, buts it mainly to avoid fines and job risk.

    Police sure make some money though. Those fines boost those coffers...just sayin'....

    --

    In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
    1. Re:things have changed re drunk driving. by tangent3 · · Score: 4, Informative

      It doesn't seem so bad until it happens to you.
      Most of the victims of drunk driving accidents are innocent bystanders.

  4. Re:Oh. by DerekLyons · · Score: 3, Informative

    Unless you're a minor, the fact of your arrest and the charges surrounding it are part of a public record that gets published daily.

    In my community the police blotter isn't published daily, but the local paper does print selected excerpts.) In fact, it appears, from your own link, that any portion of the blotter being published [by the police] is scarce. If they are published, it's excerpts by the local media. (My local paper doesn't print names in their blotter excerpts, only in full stories.) Or, in other words, "public record" != "published".
     
    Another thing to consider is that a blotter is a formal legal record, a Twitter post isn't.