Beeville Police Chief Joe Treviño and Bee County Sheriff Carlos Carrizales Jr. acknowledged that talking on the phone while driving is a distraction.
Treviño said he could support such a law only if it exempts law enforcement officers. He said his patrolmen and investigators often need to be on a cell phone while they are behind the wheel.
Carrizales also said his deputies often communicate with cell phones.
The sheriff agreed that using a cell phone is a distraction and that it can be as dangerous for some motorists as driving while intoxicated. However, deputies and police officers already communicate by radio with their dispatchers and other patrol units. Talking over a radio is just as distracting to an officer as using a phone.
“I agree that it’s a distraction in this high-tech world,” Carrizales said.
“It’s just that we’ve become so dependent on them,” said Chief Deputy Alden Southmayd.
The sheriff and deputy both agreed with Treviño that law enforcement officers should be exempt from such a law.
Southmayd went further, saying, “I’m leery of passing a law prohibiting it,” he said.
Commenting on the fact that more motorists are getting off the road to use their cell phones, Southmayd said even that can be dangerous, depending on where the driver stops.
But he recommended that drivers do get off the road to make phone calls.
Both Southmayd and Carrizales said that just pulling to the side of a road could be almost as dangerous in some locations as talking on the phone while driving. They recommended that drivers who use their phones find a parking lot where they can stop to make their calls. That way they will be completely out of the way of traffic while on the phone.
The two peace officers said they also support another bill under consideration by the legislature: allowing law enforcement agencies to set up routine checkpoints to nab drunk drivers while expressing some concerns about using them.
“I support the idea,” said Trevino when informed that the Texas Legislature will consider will consider a bill allowing DWI checkpoints this year.
“Oh definitely so, if the criteria are not too stringent,” Sheriff Carlos Carrizales, Jr. said when asked if his department would be interested in that proposal.
The legislation that would allow the checkpoints was among at least 600 proposed bills that could alter the way law enforcement agencies are allowed to operate in Texas.
“It would give officers a chance to check for contraband, insurance coverage and possible warrants,” Treviño said.
“It shouldn’t take an officer long to determine is someone has been drinking,” the chief said. He did not think a checkpoint would delay the flow of traffic much.
Carrizales agreed. He said most people could move on after an officer had made visual contact to determine if the driver had been drinking. Anyone suspected of breaking the law would be asked to pull over for further investigation.
“One of the things is manpower,” Carrizales said. He normally does not have enough deputies on duty to conduct routine checkpoints and still cover the entire county.
However, Treviño believed that checkpoints conducted at proper locations and proper times of the day would not affect the flow of traffic.
“We’d have to take into consideration the need to keep traffic moving at a safe pace,” the chief said.
By the way, I'm in favor of the bills.