IHP says checkpoints are safe

Could the checkpoint death of an Illinois State Trooper happen in Iowa? Such safety stops are rare, says Iowa Patrol spokesman Sergeant Robert Hansen, and are carefully planned as each checkpoint has to be pre-approved at state patrol headquarters, and is only for a few hours any location. Hansen says when a roadblock is set up, it isn’t a broad sweep; troopers are strictly limited in what they can look for. He says safety of both motorists and officers is a prime concern, and they are supposed to check only for a legal driver, registered car, and equipment that’s working. What should you do when you’re pulled over, or stopped at a checkpoint? He says you should pull over and wait in your car for the officer to approach.Sergeant Hansen says it’s not necessary to get out of your vehicle, at least until the trooper tells you why you’ve been stopped. A suspect from Davenport appears in court this week accused of dragging an Illinois State trooper to his death after a routine stop at a checkpoint in Rock Island, Illinois where officers frequently set up a station to stop and check all passing cars.