This is a shot of the parking lot next to the activity:

Torrance Police Department believes the "DUI" checkpoint is a proven effective method for increased awareness of the dangers of impaired driving.

In the past, by publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, Torrance Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

Typically, funding for these kinds of operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But last night, they broke from their previous motivation and imposed the suspicionless checkpoint without even prior notice.

Whatever your belief of the effectiveness of these suspicionless checkpoint, know this.  It is a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution to demand evidence of a crime without probable cause.  The suspicionless checkpoint, by definition, lacks probable cause.

It is much easier to introduce an intrusive measure by watering down the most intrusive aspects.  It is harder to be against suspicionless checkpoints when they are announced ahead of time.  But is easy to just stop announcing them once they become commonplace.

We are no longer on our way to a police state.  We live in a police state now.  It's only going to get worse.