Police officers have a duty to ensure that the streets are as safe as possible, but this doesn’t mean that they should take unreasonable steps to do this. One area where reason is critical is with drunk driving stops.
The officer must have reasonable suspicion to believe that a driver is impaired. This is often established by seeing signs of impairment, such as swerving or unnecessary braking. Whatever the signs are that lead the officer to conduct the traffic stop, they must be things that any reasonable person would agree can signal drunk driving.
Reasonable suspicion can lead to other steps
Once an officer stops the vehicle, they have to determine what’s going on. This typically starts with an interview and taking a look for signs of impairment, such as alcohol on their breath or open containers in their vehicle. The officer may also ask the driver to take a field sobriety test or a chemical test to determine impairment.
Probable cause can lead to an arrest
If the police officer has probable cause to show that the driver was impaired, they can conduct an arrest. This triggers the need to explore the defense strategy options that are available. These can vary based on the circumstances surrounding the arrest and the presence of any prior convictions for drunk driving.
Determining the most appropriate option for a defense strategy is critical. This may require the assistance of someone familiar with these matters. Doing this quickly is important because some options might be time sensitive.