2013/12/17

WASHINGTON, DC — A federal program that began in Texas has now spread to an estimated 60 communities across the nation and shows no signs of stopping.

Police throughout the country are continuing to stop Americans at checkpoints to extract their blood and saliva under the direction federal government contractors, according to reports.

The agents responsible for the program claim that the extractions are being conducted to “reduce drunk driving” and that they are “voluntary.”

But citizens and civil liberties activists are deeply critical of the program, stating that drivers are tricked into submitting their fluids and that the program is fundamentally coercive.

The checkpoints are operated by armed agents in uniform, giving the appearance of the threat of force.

As far as the drivers know, if they do not stop at the checkpoints, they may be chased down, arrested, or worse.

Tom Neer, a sheriff of St. Charles County, said that his department was duped into participating in the program.

A subcontractor with the U.S. government reportedly paid six of Sheriff Neer’s officers to man the checkpoints and collect the bodily fluids.

“We will not cooperate with these federal checkpoints again,” said Neer.

“In essence, we got duped, and shame on me,” he added.

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), the agency behind the federal program, continues to insist that it’s “voluntary.”

Many consider that to be a lie, however, given numerous reports about the appearance of force and economic coercion.

When approaching these checkpoints, motorists are randomly stopped and instructed to pull over.

If they initially refuse to cooperate, they may be offered up to $100.

For unemployed drivers desperate to survive in hard economic conditions, the offer of $100 becomes a heavy economic pressure to comply.

Many take the cash to feed themselves or their children. Federal agents will then begin the extraction process, drawing blood out of their veins.

They may also be instructed to spread their mouths open so that agents can insert cotton swabs, absorbing saliva from the insides of their cheeks.

Aside from the economic pressure, the very presence of the checkpoints appears coercive rather than “voluntary.”

“To the average person, all the authority and prosecutorial demeanor of an officer directing you to pull over amounts to an order, not a voluntary act,” said Rory Ellinger, an attorney and representative in University City.

“How voluntary is it when you have a police officer in uniform flagging you down? Are you going to stop? Yes, you’re going to stop,” remarked Susan Watson, an ACLU executive director.

Some drivers report being coerced into giving up samples of their fluids, stating that they believed they would have been chased by police had they refused.

Carl Olund, one such driver, said he thought that “4 or 5 cops” would have chased him down if he didn’t cooperate, and it’s the only reason he let them take his saliva.

Moreover, breath tests are performed on each driver before they can give their full and explicit consent, according to Frank Colosi, an attorney.

These tests can be performed with breathalyzers installed in the flashlights that agents point at drivers, making them fairly covert from a drivers’ perspective.

“They’re essentially lying to you when they say it’s ‘completely voluntary,’ because they’re testing you at that moment,” said Colosi.