It’s no surprise that drunk driving arrests increase around the holidays. Between the Christmas eggnog and the New Year’s champagne, there are more people on the roads who’ve had one too many celebratory libations. To help cope with this problem, some law enforcement agencies have turned to the web for creative solutions. A recent CNET article highlights the efforts of law enforcement officers in Montgomery County, Texas.
According to the CNET article, anyone who gets arrested for suspicion of drunk driving from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve will have their names featured publicly on the Twitter page of Montgomery County Texas District Attorney Brett Ligon. Naturally, this has led some to criticize Montgomery County law enforcement for disregarding the constitutional right to due process and effectively bypassing the innocent until proven guilty mentality that makes the U.S. Justice System the finest in the world.
In November, we wrote about a new effort from the Honolulu Police Department to feature suspected drunk drivers on the department’s website. At the time, I wrote that this approach was flawed and that, while drunk driving is a serious crime with serious consequences, it should not be prosecuted “at the expense of personal liberty.” In the Montgomery County case, I believe the same logic applies. Whatever good can come of sharing a suspect’s name on Twitter is undone by the long-term damage it can potentially cause to personal reputations.
What about the drunk driving suspect who is found not-guilty? Will there be an additional tweet sharing their innocence? If an individual is found guilty, will there be a tweet sharing their regret for their actions and the progress they’re making on their community service? Individuals shouldn’t be forced to relive their mistakes online for the rest of their lives. Finding ways to use social media to help enforce the law is a noble pursuit and one which we should all support, but this initiative falls short.
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