Arizona DUI Task Force Officers Arrest 1,543 Impaired Drivers

Over the five weeks since the Holiday Arizona DUI Task Force started, police officers have arrested 1,543 impaired drivers. 381 drivers have been charged with extreme DUI. Drivers with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.15 percent, which is almost twice the legal limit, are considered extreme-DUI offenders.

The East Valley saturation patrol accounts for about 60 percent of the statewide task force's total DUI arrests.

The information in this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please contact us to obtain legal advice pertaining to your situation.

Police To Draw Blood In Arizona DUI Cases

During the past 15 years, most large law-enforcement agencies statewide have moved from using Breathalyzers in favor of using blood to determine alcohol levels. Thanks to a grant from the federal government, more small and midsize police forces are putting officers through a five-day course to learn the art of phlebotomy. The grant allowed the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to put about 170 officers through the program this year, in addition to the 100 it paid for last year. The money is part of a $4.5 million grant package the state annually receives because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers Arizona an "opportunity state," with nearly one-third of its traffic fatalities tied to drinking. "Breath testing is primarily used throughout the state, but blood is being used more and more," said Alan Haywood, a Department of Public Safety officer and program coordinator. "We call it the CSI effect: Juries and judges want evidence, and they like the blood." Defense attorneys aren't quite as pleased. The move toward blood-only testing has removed a key underpinning of a DUI defense: faulty equipment.

The state requires officers to draw blood from 100 patients successfully as part of the training. They must maintain their qualification with a minimum of 24 blood-draws each year.
That brings many officers to the lab at Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, which processes 300 to 400 patients for blood work each day.

The information in this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please contact us to obtain legal advice pertaining to your situation.

Arizona DUI Task Force Arrests Over 300 Motorisits

More than 300 motorists were arrested over the weekend as part of the Arizona Department of Public Safety annual holiday DUI task force targeting DUI suspects. Officers from various law enforcement agencies made 141 DUI arrests on Friday, and a 184 on Saturday. Police officers arrested more impaired drivers on Saturday than they did during all of Thanksgiving weekend. Officers stopped more than 2,500 cars through the weekend and issued nearly 1,000 other citations for speeding, seat-belt violations and other infractions.

The information in this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please contact us to obtain legal advice pertaining to your situation.

Phoenix Creates New DUI Task Force

Phoenix police announced the creation of a new task force to hunt down and arrest DUI suspects with outstanding "high-risk" warrants. After launching "Operation MADD About It" yesterday, Phoenix police arrested 14 suspects by mid-afternoon. The suspects faced charges including DUI, Extreme DUI and Aggravated DUI. Police said there were still around 10,000 outstanding DUI-related warrants across the state. Police will search for suspects with "high-risk" warrants, which are repeat offenders or drivers charged with Extreme DUI or Aggravated DUI.

The information in this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please contact us to obtain legal advice pertaining to your situation.

Over A 150 Arizona DUI Arrests Over Holiday Weekend

More than 150 drivers were arrested by Arizona Department of Public Safety officers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. During a three-day period beginning Friday, November 28 and ending Sunday, November 30, DPS Officers made 159 arrests statewide for driving under the influence. Of that number, 17 drivers were arrested for aggravated DUI and 33 were arrested for extreme DUI. The total number of underage DUI arrests was 14. A total of 18 drivers had prior convictions for DUI when arrested and the average blood alcohol content of all of those arrested was 0.145. Only one fatal collision occurred during the holiday weekend on Arizona's statewide highway system.

The information in this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please contact us to obtain legal advice pertaining to your situation.