'CLICK IT' A MISUSE OF THE POLICE

For the sixth year running, our local, county and state police are
participating in a catchy-titled program called "Click It or Ticket," in
which police run roughshod over motorists' rights, conducting roadblocks
and handing out tickets to those who, for one reason or another, are not
wearing seat belts.

And although it's clearly a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the
Constitution (which protects us against unreasonable search and seizure),
law officers may just happen to have drug-sniffing dogs standing by in case
they think they may be needed. Or, they may decide to search for other
contraband.

The ostensible reason for this interest in seat belts is that use of these
devices has been shown to save lives and reduce injuries in vehicle
accidents. And Georgia has a law saying that you must wear your seat belt
if you are driving a car or are a passenger in one.

There's no argument here. Except in unusual cases involving small adults or
children who have been harmed or killed by seat belts when an accident
occurs, there is no real disagreement: Wearing a seat belt is a good
policy, one which we heartily endorse.

But having a period of two weeks set aside to enforce this law - in this
case, from Nov. 18 until Dec. 1 - is a misuse of police officers who could
be doing something far more worthwhile, such as protecting the public and
arresting those who present a threat to society.

While it does not happen in every case, police have used the roadblock as a
means to enforce more serious infractions, although law clearly prohibits
them from doing so. In Indianapolis vs. Edmund, the United States Supreme
Court ruled that road blocks intended to detect evidence of general
criminal behavior are illegal. It is legal to use road blocks to check
licenses and registration and conduct sobriety and border checks, but
frequently police overstep these bounds.

As we have noted in the past, "Click It or Ticket" is another erosion of
civil liberties, one which opens the door to further government
paternalism. There are far more important things our police need to be
doing than wasting the taxpayers' money on this silly program.