Putting more noise in the Serpas Signal

The latest checkpoint announcement is slightly less precise than its predecessors.

New Orleans, LA - As required by the Louisiana Supreme Court, the New Orleans Police Department is issuing a public advisory regarding a sobriety checkpoint that will be conducted tomorrow night. 

The New Orleans Police Department’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in the Orleans Parish area beginning at approximately 9:00 P.M., and will conclude at approximately 5:00 A.M.  Motorists will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested, i.e., proof of insurance, driver’s license, etc.

 Not sure why they've made this policy change.  Could be somebody zoomed out on the Google map, or it could be whoever wrote the press release this time had incomplete information. 

Or maybe they're actually trying to be a little sneakier. One thing I've noticed lately is that these emails have been going out later and later on the night before the checkpoint is to take place.  And because the notice says "tomorrow night" instead of naming an exact date, the reader might not be clear on when the checkpoint is actually taking place. 

Update: T-P's Gordon Russell follows up with NOPD.

The notice satisfies the court's requirements, NOPD spokeswoman Remi Braden said in an email this morning.

In 1989, the high court banned sobriety checkpoints, opining that they violate citizens' privacy. But in 2000, the court decided to allow for them -- provided police warn the public in advance of the general location and hours.

Though the "Orleans Parish area" is the only area in which the NOPD has any jurisdiction, Braden said the notice satisfies the court's requirements.

"I just had the officer who alerts this office to put out such releases verify what information is essential to include in them," Braden said by email. "He said they're required to include the parish, date and time frame of checkpoints."

I'm not sure who "the officer who alerts this office to put out such releases" refers to so I can't say how much authority his/her interpretation holds.  Either way, Braden says they're required to include the date.  "Tomorrow night" still seems pretty vague in that regard.