According to the Orange County Register, 38 law enforcement agencies formed a DUI task force over the weekend to focus on arresting drunk drivers in Orange County for the St. Patrick’s day holiday. These agencies used DUI dedicated roving patrols as well as DUI checkpoints, tactics well known to DUI Attorneys in Orange County, to enforce DUI laws. On Sunday alone this task force arrested 45 people for suspicion of DUI, according to the article. These include all arrests for DUI in Orange County, whether on county roads or freeways. The paper reported that last year a total of 64 DUI arrests were made, but that total was for the entire weekend.
Roving patrols typically saturate areas with a historic high
incidence of DUI drivers—typically areas around popular entertainment districts
with establishments that sell alcohol. The roving DUI patrols will look for any
reason to pull a driver over, perhaps expired registration, cell phone or
seatbelt violations, or a plethora of other vehicle code violations. Once a
driver is stopped by the roving patrol, the officer quickly determines if the
driver has consumed any alcohol; by asking the driver and by detecting any odor
of an alcoholic beverage. Also, the officer will quickly check the eyes of the
driver for to see if they are red or watery. The officer will also listen to
the driver’s speech to detect any slurring. If a driver has consumed any
alcohol, the officer will quickly conduct a DUI investigation, which consists
of voluntary field sobriety tests, a “voluntary” breath test, and questions
about alcohol consumption.
If the officer believes that a person is under the influence
of alcohol or drugs, the officer will arrest the driver and give him or her a
choice of a mandatory post-arrest blood test or breath test. If the result is relatively close to the legal limit
of 0.08%, the driver should consult with an Orange County DUI Attorneyto
determine the possibility of getting the charge reduced to a wet reckless.
The task force also employed at least two DUI checkpoints;
one in Irvine and one in San Clemente. Although DUI checkpoints are legal, they
must be conducted according to specific legal criteria. Mistakes in following a
specific protocol found by a DUI lawyer can be used to get DUI charges thrown
out or reduced.
If you have been arrested for DUI in Orange County and would
like and would like to consult with an experienced Orange County DUI lawyer to
learn what to do in court and at the DMV, call the Law Offices of EJ Stopyro at (949)
559-5500. The consultation is free and
confidential. Or visit our website at www.EJEsquire.com.
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