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Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Green High senior goes extra mile for those who walk and jog the park trails
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Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
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Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Blogs:
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
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Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
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Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (68) Democrats Secure 60 Votes for Cloture
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Stephen Majors
Associated Press writer
POSTED: 01:48 p.m. EDT, Jun 24, 2008
COLUMBUS: Ohio is about to give police more leeway than most states to force a blood or urine test on certain people suspected of drunken driving.
The bill, which Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to sign later this week, would apply to people who had been convicted at least twice of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Under current law, authorities must get a warrant from a judge to test blood or urine for alcohol or drugs on people who don't initially give their consent. A few other states require mandatory blood testing but only when there has been a fatal crash or great bodily harm and police have probable cause that a driver is intoxicated.
''Driving in Ohio is a right not a privilege,'' said state Sen. Timothy Grendell, the Chesterland Republican who sponsored the bill. ''We can precondition that right on any condition we want that helps keep the other drivers on the road safe.''
Civil liberties advocates say the bill is unconstitutional, and they expect to challenge the law once it is enforced.
Requiring a warrant is the way that the judicial system can play its role in checking the power of the state, said Jeffrey Gamso, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.
''If it were really hard to get a warrant it would be one thing, but they can get a warrant in a hurry,'' he said. ''There's always a judge on duty.''
Grendell said a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision provides a solid legal foundation for his bill. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that authorities could compel a driver whom they had suspected of drunken driving to give a blood sample.
COLUMBUS: Ohio is about to give police more leeway than most states to force a blood or urine test on certain people suspected of drunken driving.
The bill, which Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to sign later this week, would apply to people who had been convicted at least twice of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Under current law, authorities must get a warrant from a judge to test blood or urine for alcohol or drugs on people who don't initially give their consent. A few other states require mandatory blood testing but only when there has been a fatal crash or great bodily harm and police have probable cause that a driver is intoxicated.
''Driving in Ohio is a right not a privilege,'' said state Sen. Timothy Grendell, the Chesterland Republican who sponsored the bill. ''We can precondition that right on any condition we want that helps keep the other drivers on the road safe.''
Civil liberties advocates say the bill is unconstitutional, and they expect to challenge the law once it is enforced.
Requiring a warrant is the way that the judicial system can play its role in checking the power of the state, said Jeffrey Gamso, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.
''If it were really hard to get a warrant it would be one thing, but they can get a warrant in a hurry,'' he said. ''There's always a judge on duty.''
Grendell said a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision provides a solid legal foundation for his bill. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that authorities could compel a driver whom they had suspected of drunken driving to give a blood sample.
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