By Del Quentin Wilber | Washington Post | Oct. 30, 2008

A federal judge declined today to block D.C. police from operating a checkpoint initiative that authorities say is designed to quell spikes in violence.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon denied a request by a civil

"Suffice it to say that the public's interest in deterring violent crime of this type through a checkpoint program this carefully crafted is overwhelming," Leon wrote. "Simply put, to take this arrow out of [D.C. police's] quiver on such a weak showing as to its unconstitutionality would be injurious not only to [D.C. police's] ability to protect our citizens, but to the public's overwhelming need to be protected from these mobile merchants of violence."

The partnership's lawyers have argued that the checkpoints are unconstitutional and have led to "widespread civil rights violations." The District government argued that the checkpoints are a legal way to attack violence.

D.C. police set up checkpoints to screen motorists in the Trinidad area in June for six days and again a month later for eight days. Officers set up the checkpoints in the neighborhood and asked drivers whether they had a legitimate reason to be in the area. If they did not, they were asked to either park their cars or turn back.