READING (AP) — A motorist said he felt violated when a private contractor working for the federal government forced him and other motorists off an eastern Pennsylvania street to try to survey them about their driving habits and ask for a swab of their mouth.
Reading resident Ricardo Nieves complained about the checkpoint to City Council on Monday, saying he felt it was a "gross abuse of power," the Reading Eagle reported.
The voluntary checkpoint was conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation as part of a survey for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the newspaper reported. It was one of a series of roadblocks nationwide to study alcohol and drug use by motorists. The survey has been conducted periodically since the 1970s.
Police Chief William Heim said the checkpoints were voluntary and that motorists were under no obligation to take part in the anonymous survey or the swab. He defended the use of Reading police to perform site security, saying they did not pull motorists over, nor ask any questions.
But Nieves said, "A federal survey with local police help violates my rights."
Earlier this year, Alabama's governor and attorney general announced a review of similar roadblocks in which motorists were asked for breath, blood and saliva samples. In that case, off-duty officers in two Alabama counties were used to set up the roadblocks for the study by the Pacific Institute.