By Nathan Baca
News Channel 3

The California Highway Patrol in the High Desert and the Twentynine Palms Marine Base are receiving dozens of calls complaining about a controversial DUI checkpoint. Military Police joined the CHP for a recent checkpoint in Yucca Valley.

The Friday night checkpoint was in front of the Yucca Valley Home Depot on Highway 62. What has High Desert residents confused is that they are not used to military police so far from the Marine Base.

From the local radio to internet blogs, residents were concerned the Military Police presence violated federal law.

The original California Highway Patrol news release mentioned the military presence. One released shortly later doesn't mention the military, arising community suspicion of a cover-up.

Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act more than a hundred years ago forbidding the military from enforcing civilian law such as traffic stops.

Marine Lt. Thomas Beck tells News Channel 3 the Military Police were not arresting people. They were just watching the checkpoint to see how they should do it on base.

"We were not actively participating in enforcing any laws. We were there to observe and observe only, " said Lt. Beck.

The California Highway Patrol says they invited the Marines to tag along.

"We had the DUI checkpoint and invited the Marine Corps in a show of good relations between our two departments," said CHP Officer Rob McLoud.

A recent KCDZ 107.7 FM broadcast out of Joshua Tree stated, "By law, to avoid entrapment, the CHP is requested to provide the location of the checkpoint to the media at least two hours prior. They did provide Z 107.7 with a phone number to call at 7 PM to get a location, but - defense lawyers take notice - no one ever answered the phone."

When asked why nobody answered the phone at the CHP station, Officer McLoud answered, "I know our dispatch center is a busy place. But normally, they answer the phone. They handle all our public calls."

There is a billboard reminding Marines on base just how many of their own were caught driving drunk. There were more this year. The military police are learning what they can to confront the problem.

When asked what they learned from Sheriff's and CHP that night, Lt. Beck replied, "We learned a lot of techniques how they conduct the checkpoints. We observed field sobriety tests."