Sober Drivers Are Being Arrested for DUI, and the Explanation Will Infuriate You | Carscoops

      A police department is facing criticism after sober drivers were charged with DUI. A new lawsuit is revealing concerning incentives associated with this practice.

      On May 31, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed a lawsuit against the Honolulu Police Department, alleging that officers have arrested numerous drivers who showed no visible signs of impairment.

      Sobriety checkpoints are intended to enhance road safety, but increasing legal actions suggest they may unjustly apprehend drivers who should not have been stopped or arrested at all. The latest lawsuit contends that the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) is manipulating arrest statistics to secure ongoing federal funding.

      The ACLU claims, "HPD utilizes its arrest numbers and statistics to justify continued federal funding for sobriety checkpoints and other OVUII enforcement, which is contingent upon demonstrating the checkpoints’ effectiveness via arrest statistics." This assertion is included in the lawsuit, which the civil rights group filed on behalf of drivers who were proven to be sober at the time of their arrest.

      Between 2022 and 2024, officers in Honolulu reportedly arrested 129 individuals for DUI, all of whom had a blood alcohol content of precisely 0.00. This scenario raises serious concerns, and now the department must contend with significant legal repercussions.

      Incentives, Not Safeguards

      According to Courthousenews, the HPD has a policy that allows officers to leave early if they make an arrest during their shift. This benefit, combined with the pressure to demonstrate results, is now being examined. The lawsuit highlights the arrests of three people, including Sara Poppinga, Tanner Pangan, and Ammon Fepuleai, all of whom allegedly tested negative for alcohol.

      Fepuleai stated, “When I was arrested, it really impacted me mentally and internally, and it also affected public perception because this really caused trauma to me. The entire experience was very traumatizing. Before my arrest, I believed that police officers were there to safeguard and protect us, particularly those who are innocent.”

      In response to these allegations, the department informed NBC that it takes them very seriously and has initiated an investigation into all impaired driving arrests going back to 2021.

      A National Pattern?

      Hawaii isn’t alone in facing this issue. In November, reports emerged about police in Tennessee arresting over 600 individuals for DUI since 2017, none of whom had drugs or alcohol in their system. One incident involved officers arresting a young man based on an assumption he had used marijuana, but his blood test proved them incorrect, leading him to file a lawsuit against the officers.

      In that case, the judge dismissed all charges against him with prejudice, allowing for a trial to proceed regarding potential civil rights violations. A jury trial is scheduled for June 6 this year.

      Whether occurring in Tennessee, Hawaii, or elsewhere, these incidents are prompting a deeper examination of how impaired driving laws are enforced and, in some cases, misapplied. Arresting sober individuals is more than a bureaucratic error; it represents a failure to maintain public trust, resulting in legal action against departments.