During the first few weeks of the new semester, many students noticed the prominence of roadblocks in Starkville and some questioned their legality, while others encourage them.
 The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution states unreasonable searches and seizures require any warrant to be supported by probable cause. However, basic protocol requires officers to make sure the law is followed. 
Starkville Police Department DUI Enforcement Officer Charlie Jones said roadblocks reduce the percentage of those who drive impaired.
“About one out of 25 people in Starkville are arrested for drunk driving. Roadblocks ensure that drivers have licenses, insurance and allows the check for sobriety,” Jones said.
Jones also said roadblocks have every right to be in place, especially because more young people are caught driving impaired due to Starkville being a college town.
Ciara Carey, senior secondary education major, said police should be posted at various spots on campus at least once or twice a month.
“About a week ago, while coming out of my residence hall on campus, I was crossing the street and did not see any indication of a vehicle coming. As I proceeded, I was almost hit by a car going about 30 mph. The speed limit is 20 mph,” Carey said.
Carey said roadblocks and the presence of police make people aware of the law and remind them to pay attention to speed limits. She also said many people run the stop sign coming through the back road off of Miss. Hwy. 12. 
“Anyone who objects (to) roadblocks does not understand them or are the main people who roadblocks are designed to stop,” Carey said.
A source said she was pulled over a week ago on Miss. Hwy. 12 around 1a.m.
“The police were looking for a suspect, so one officer pulled me over and requested my license. When he went to his car to run my license, four other police officers pulled up,” she said. “The officers asked me to step out of the vehicle and questioned me about firearms. They then went through my bags and other items and then stopped to ask if it was OK that they search,” she said.
The source said the police were nice throughout the search, but she was anxious to get home since it was so late.
Donte Thomas, senior criminology major, said officers sometimes try to intimidate drivers with unnecessary questions. 
“Last year during Thanksgiving break, I went through a block off campus at the light leading to South Field. The officer asked for my license then asked, ‘Why are you still here?’ with no expression on his face,” he said.
Thomas said although most of the MSU students had gone home for break, the officer had no reason to ask personal questions.
Captain Chris Thomas of the SPD said roadblocks are slightly limited at the beginning of the semester. 
“We are currently shorthanded of police officers, so there will not be too many roadblocks right now — especially with this being a busy time of year with everyone coming back into Starkville,” Thomas said.
A Twitter account titled @MSUroadblocks has emerged. This account allows its Twitter followers to tweet and bring notice to various spots in Starkville or on MSU’s campus in which police officers hold roadblocks. The Twitter account encourages safety and warns people to obey the law and use caution. The owner of this account has not been identified.
This story has been updated to protect the identity of a source.