Pinellas And State Law Enforcement Agencies To Conduct County Wide DUI Wolf Pack Tonight
March 14, 2015
Pinellas County Deputies in conjunction with Tarpon Springs Police Department, Clearwater Police Department, Largo Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol and G4S Prisoner Transportation will conduct a DUI Wolf Pack operation. The operation will begin Saturday night and continue into early Sunday morning.
This operation is part of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s on-going commitment to reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage associated with traffic crashes related to impaired driving. The goal of the Wolf Pack is to educate people and create public awareness about the dangers of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and any chemical or controlled substances.
Members of the Pinellas Chaplains Association and R.I.D. Tampabay – Remove Intoxicated Drivers are helping to support this operation.  They will be meeting and helping feed those participating prior to the official start early Saturday evening.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office states they will be conducting Wolf Packs and DUI checkpoints continuously throughout the year.  However, the Sheriff’s Office has not held a DUI checkpoint since late last year. There has been discussion nationwide in regards to a video that was made New Year’s Eve.  The video was posted on Youtube by a group from FreeDUI.org that made a flier that was being displayed along with the person’s drivers license and proof of insurance. Many claim that this display meets the legal requirements while not requiring the driver’s window to be rolled down.
In response to the video, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri made it clear that he could still arrest and charge a driver with obstruction of justice.  Many people were angered by his comments at what they consider a violation of an individual’s rights. They promised to travel to Pinellas County to the next DUI checkpoint which would most definitely begin a long drawn out and complicated legal case.  In contrast, a Wolf Pack places many officers on the road but requires some type of probable cause before initiating a traffic stop.