Holiday DUI Taskforce Nets Over 2300 Arrests
Officers from several Arizona agencies participated in a holiday season DUI taskforce in Maricopa County this past holiday season.
According to news reports, the officers conducted over 27,000 traffic stops of which approximately 2,300 resulted in a DUI arrest.
During the 2007 holiday season, there were nearly 2900 DUI arrests.
The reduction in DUI arrests has been a source of debate for many legal commentators.
Police and prosecutors cite newly enacted State-wide DUI laws which became effective in September of 2008.
These legal reforms increased the mandatory minimum sentence for many DUI offenses - including a potential 45 day jail term for those convicted of having a Blood alcohol concentration in excess of .
20%.
Others, however, cite the current economic conditions in the country as basis for the reduction.
Given the hefty price tag that comes along with a night out on new years eve, many would-be drivers opted to stay home this holiday season.
Regardless of the reason, everyone in the community can agree about one thing;Fewer drunk drivers makes a safer community.
The concern shared by some is the methods being used by Arizona to "crack down" on drunk driving.
With some of the harshest laws in the county, anyone arrested for a DUI in Arizona faces mandatory jail, probation, an ignition interlock device, drivers license suspension, and potentially increased insurance premiums.
Many police agencies in Arizona are seeking these harsh punishments in court based on questionable evidence such as the Intoxilizer 8000.
This breath testing machine is manufactured by a company named CMI which has ignored numerous court orders to disclose its "source code" so it can be analyzed by independent defense experts.
Without access to this information, people all over the state of Arizona are being convicted and sentenced to jail based on this "black-box" evidence.
Although several judges have dismissed numerous cases based on this issue, the vast majority of those charged with DUI based on a breath test from this machine are still being prosecuted.
According to news reports, the officers conducted over 27,000 traffic stops of which approximately 2,300 resulted in a DUI arrest.
During the 2007 holiday season, there were nearly 2900 DUI arrests.
The reduction in DUI arrests has been a source of debate for many legal commentators.
Police and prosecutors cite newly enacted State-wide DUI laws which became effective in September of 2008.
These legal reforms increased the mandatory minimum sentence for many DUI offenses - including a potential 45 day jail term for those convicted of having a Blood alcohol concentration in excess of .
20%.
Others, however, cite the current economic conditions in the country as basis for the reduction.
Given the hefty price tag that comes along with a night out on new years eve, many would-be drivers opted to stay home this holiday season.
Regardless of the reason, everyone in the community can agree about one thing;Fewer drunk drivers makes a safer community.
The concern shared by some is the methods being used by Arizona to "crack down" on drunk driving.
With some of the harshest laws in the county, anyone arrested for a DUI in Arizona faces mandatory jail, probation, an ignition interlock device, drivers license suspension, and potentially increased insurance premiums.
Many police agencies in Arizona are seeking these harsh punishments in court based on questionable evidence such as the Intoxilizer 8000.
This breath testing machine is manufactured by a company named CMI which has ignored numerous court orders to disclose its "source code" so it can be analyzed by independent defense experts.
Without access to this information, people all over the state of Arizona are being convicted and sentenced to jail based on this "black-box" evidence.
Although several judges have dismissed numerous cases based on this issue, the vast majority of those charged with DUI based on a breath test from this machine are still being prosecuted.
Source...