On Tuesday afternoon State Senator Christine Kehoe's office withdrew her request for a state audit of Escondido's drivers license and sobriety checkpoint program. She issued the following statement:
"I have decided to withdraw the audit request for the checkpoint impound practices in the City of Escondido. The State Auditor reviewed my request and raised concerns that this audit would be duplicative of a statewide audit that she completed earlier this year on sobriety checkpoints. I hope that the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the Legislature will explore other ways to bring more transparency to this situation."
Kehoe had planned to ask a state legislative committee to decide whether to launch an audit of Escondido's controversial sobriety and drivers license checkpoint program, which has long been criticized by immigrant rights activists who say the police department uses the checkpoints to target undocumented immigrants.
Earlier this year, the ACLU said it was concerned the city was profiting from the checkpoints by overcharging drivers whose cars were impounded, in violation of state rules.
Following those accusations, Escondido conducted its own audit of the program and concluded that its fees were justified.
In her original letter requesting a state audit, Kehoe said the city’s internal report raised more questions than answers, and said a state audit would ensure full transparency.
