Sennett Devermont is a SDSU grad who is known as “MrCheckpoint” for using Twitter to alert drivers to DUI checkpoints throughout Southern California. Using the social media tools of Twitter, Facebook, SMS messaging, and his own website, Devermont has warned tens of thousands of followers. Devermont is planning a smart phone app for the service expecting to launch next month.
Devermont’s attorney says that MrCheckpoint helps increase public safety by keeping DUI checkpoints front of mind. Critics say it is used to help people evade arrest. Users of the text message service must first sign an online pledge not to drink and drive.
While some may bristle at the idea of warning people of police presence, there is a long history of Supreme Court cases that affirm the right of people to alert others to police.
