725 arrests were made during the last holiday DUI crackdown
Riverside County law enforcement officials made 725 arrests during a holiday DUI crackdown conducted from December 13 to January 2. The crackdown, which was designed to catch holiday revelers who were driving while drunk or on drugs, utilized multiple different sobriety checkpoints as well as saturation patrols to identify suspicious individuals.
Additional Crackdowns Planned
According to officials from Riverside County law enforcement, there will be additional DUI crackdowns in effect during upcoming holidays. If you are out and about in Riverside County on Superbowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, or Memorial Day weekend, be aware that you may encounter sobriety checkpoints along your way. If you suspect you are over the legal limit for alcohol or have impaired judgment due to drug use, your safest bet is to avoid getting behind the wheel.
Know Your Rights at a Sobriety Checkpoint
If you encounter a sobriety checkpoint, it is very important to know what to expect, how to behave, and how to exercise your rights.
First of all, you should know that you are not obligated to pass through a sobriety checkpoint. All checkpoints should be adequately advertised with signage, so if you see a checkpoint coming up and you can turn aside to avoid it without violating any traffic laws, you may certainly do so.
Secondly, you need to know that you are not obligated to incriminate yourself if an officer asks you if you have been drinking. Instead, respectfully state that you do not wish to answer questions without an attorney present.
Also, you need to know that if you do pass through the checkpoint, you may be asked to take various tests. You are not required to take any kind of field sobriety test (the kind involving standing on one leg, walking a straight line, letting an officer examine your eye movements, etc.). In fact, it is really never in your best interests to take one of these tests, because the officer has typically already made up his or her mind to arrest you. By taking the test, you only give the officer an opportunity to gather more evidence against you. Respectfully decline to take the test and the officer should comply with your wishes.
If you are asked to take a PAS or Breathalyzer test, you may refuse provided that you are over 21 and not on probation for a previous DUI. If you refuse, you will probably be arrested and taken to the station where you will have to take a Breathalyzer or blood test.
When to Call a DUI Attorney
If you have been arrested for a DUI, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible. An expert DUI attorney such as Dan E. Chambers can assist you in two important ways. First of all, your attorney can help you set up a DMV hearing to get your license back. Secondly, your attorney can begin securing evidence regarding the circumstances of your arrest and your chemical testing, looking for any police or lab errors that may be able to help you beat the charges.
