Arizona DUI Attorneys

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West Valley DUI Task Force

2010-03-16T14:41:00.002-07:00

The West Valley DUI Task Force will be out Saturday, March 20, 2010, conducting saturation enforcement to arrest intoxicated drivers who are celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. The task force is a joint effort by officers from multiple West Valley agencies and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The overtime pay for participating officers is funded through a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Officers will arrest impaired drivers and educate other motorists about the dangers of drunken driving.

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.

Holiday DUI Task Force Nets 4,465 Arrests

2010-01-08T16:01:00.003-07:00

The state of Arizona used federal money from four different sources to put together a holiday DUI task force. Twice as many officers worked the holiday task force from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. 4,465 DUI arrests were made during the task force. For the year, the 16 DUI task forces across the state made 14,087 arrests, up from 10,419 in 2008. 64 police, sheriff, tribal and university agencies statewide and the Department of Public Safety made up this year's DUI task forces.

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 Numbers

2009-12-09T12:08:00.005-07:00

More than 20,000 traffic stops have been made since the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety established a DUI task force to look for impaired drivers. Officers have arrested more than 1,200 individuals on DUI charges since the effort began Thanksgiving weekend.

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 Enforcement Grant Approved

2009-11-29T13:06:00.003-07:00

The Glendale City Council adopted a resolution allowing the Glendale Police Department to accept a $50,000 Governor's Office of Highway Safety's DUI enforcement grant. Glendale will use the money to pay overtime for patrol officers and other personnel during the holiday DUI task force. This will allow the department to increase the number of hours dedicated specifically to stopping drunken drivers. The city accepted a similar grant last winter. Glendale regularly participates in the West Valley DUI Task Force, a partnership of police agencies that team up for DUI saturation patrols. By targeting specific areas and making large numbers of arrests, the task force hopes to discourage drunken driving. Officers from Surprise, Goodyear, Avondale, El Mirage, Buckeye and Tolleson also participate in the task force.

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.

West Valley DUI Task Force Hosted In Surprise, Arizona

2009-11-12T15:18:00.003-07:00

Police will be on the lookout for drunken drivers in Surprise on Saturday night (November 14, 2009). From 7 p.m. until 3 a.m., police from Surprise and about eight other agencies will descend upon the West Valley city to seek those who appear to be driving while impaired. Assisting agencies include police departments in Glendale, Avondale, Tolleson, Goodyear, Buckeye and El Mirage. The state Department of Public Safety and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are also expected to help with the effort. "We've all witnessed the tragic results of someone's decision to drink and drive," said Surprise police Sgt. Mike Ferrara in a news release. That's why you see this cooperative effort from the participating agencies."

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.

Labor Day DUI Task Force Arrests 949 Suspects

2009-09-08T11:38:00.002-07:00

A task force targeting drunken drivers has netted 949 arrests since August 21, 2009, statewide. Labor Day enforcement ends today. The task force says 315 people face extreme driving under the influence charges, meaning they had a blood alcohol content above 0.15 percent.

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 Court Of Appeals Ruling: Clear Consent Needed For DUI Blood Tests

2009-09-02T10:33:00.003-07:00

A new Arizona Court ruling says authorities must obtain a search warrant to conduct a blood test of a DUI suspect unless the suspect clearly consents. The state Court of Appeals ruled on September 1, 2009, that it wasn't enough under state law that a man apparently didn't object when officers moved to take a blood sample while in a police DUI van. The ruling comes out of a case in which a man was pulled over and arrested for DUI. He was vomiting and could not participate in a blood test, so as he was sitting on the steps of the DUI van, officers drew blood. But the driver did not speak English and the officers did not speak Spanish. In Court, he claimed that the officers grabbed his arm and that he did not resist because he was afraid. But neither did he give consent. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that the police officers acted within the law. The driver appealed. The Court notes that the law in question is called "implied consent" because in Arizona, drivers are subject to a civil driver's license suspension if they refuse to have blood drawn. But the ruling says motorists clearly still have the right to withhold consent for a warrantless search. The Court of Appeals sent the case back to a lower Court for a finding on whether the man involved consented.

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.

220 Arrested By Arizona DUI Task Force Over The 4th of July Weekend

2009-07-06T10:26:00.002-07:00

As of Sunday evening, a statewide Arizona DUI task force netted 220 who police say were drunken drivers. The Governor's Office of Highway Traffic Safety said 325 officers and deputies participated. At least 70 drivers were arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI, 29 on suspicion of aggravated driving under the influence and 191 on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI. At least 19 underage drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI. Since Thursday, police agencies have made 2,713 traffic stops. Officers conducted saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and youth alcohol enforcement.

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.

24 Arrested In State By Arizona DUI Task Forces

2009-07-04T11:01:00.002-07:00

Arizona DUI task forces around the state arrested 24 people Thursday night on suspicion of drunken driving. The arrests included 9 extreme-DUI cases, in which the drivers' blood-alcohol content is 0.15 percent or greater. The Arizona holiday DUI task force will run through Sunday night.

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 Set To Deploy

2009-07-03T16:19:00.002-07:00

Police will be cracking down on West Valley drunken drivers tonight. Officers from the Glendale, Peoria, El Mirage and Tolleson police departments and the Arizona Department of Public Safety will hit the streets from 7 p.m. tonight until 3 p.m. Saturday. The Arizona DUI task force will be saturating the West Valley, particularly Glendale, with patrol officers in an effort to prevent impaired driving, as well as to arrest those who are impaired.

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 Department of Public Safety Joins July 4th DUI Patrols

2009-07-02T15:28:00.004-07:00

The Arizona Department of Public Safety officers will be taking part in various Arizona DUI task-force operations across the state this July 4th holiday weekend. Considering the holiday falls on a Saturday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety is expecting heavier-than-normal traffic on Arizona highways.

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 Supreme Court Give Juries Instructions On DUI Laws

2009-06-04T11:54:00.003-07:00

Arizona juries are getting new guidance on how to tell whether a person who has been drinking is violating the law against driving under the influence even if the vehicle isn't moving. Juries have been given instructions on what state law means when it prohibits a person under the influence of alcohol from being in "actual physical control of a vehicle," the state Supreme Court said in a ruling issued Wednesday. The unanimous ruling includes a recommended instruction telling jurors to decide whether an impaired person both controlled a vehicle and posed a danger. A 13-item list of things to consider include whether a vehicle was running, where it was stopped, locations of the key and driver, whether the driver was asleep and any explanations provided for circumstances. The DUI law doesn't necessarily involve intent, so juries and judges should determine whether a person is in control of a vehicle without considering "a defendant's purpose in exercising control," Justice Michael D. Ryan wrote for the court. The ruling upholds a DUI conviction in a Pima County case in which a Tucson police officer saw a man stagger into a car. The officer then found the man with one hand of the steering wheel and the other inserting the key in the ignition. The man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.357 percent.

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.

West Valley DUI Checkpoint

2009-05-21T20:02:00.002-07:00

The Peoria Police Department and the West Valley Task Force are teaming up to hold a DUI checkpoint over the Memorial Day weekend. In attempt to prevent motorists from driving while under the influence of alcohol and reduce the number of alcohol-related collisions, the checkpoint will be at Castle Hot Springs Road at Lake Pleasant Parkway. Checkpoint times will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday through Monday. In addition to the checkpoint, police officers will be on roving patrols in the area and along Arizona 74.

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 Patrol Set For Country Thunder

2009-03-30T11:29:00.002-07:00

Attendees at the annual Country Thunder music festival in Florence should expect strict enforcement of Arizona DUI laws. Pinal County sheriff's deputies and others will conduct a DUI Task Force operation 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Plainclothes officers will be looking for underage drinkers.

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.

Valley DUI Sweep Results In 276 Arrests

2009-03-19T17:04:00.002-07:00

Valley police made 276 DUI arrests as part of a five-day sweep targeting drunken drivers. The St. Patrick's Day Task Force ended Wednesday. More than 300 officials from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and area police departments participated.

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.

Glendale Arizona Receives Grant To Help Enforce DUI Laws

2009-02-24T19:15:00.002-07:00

The Glendale Police Department gets to spend $50,000 to crack down on drunken drivers, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Governor's Office. The Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety awarded the grant in December to use for DUI enforcement, including youth programs that focus on the prevention and enforcement of underage drinking. The grant also is used by a West Valley task force to put more officers on the streets to enforce drinking and driving laws.

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.

Charles Barkley Pleads Guilty To DUI Charge In Scottsdale Arizona

2009-02-24T19:05:00.003-07:00

Charles Barkley has plead guilty to a DUI charge in Scottsdale City Court. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail, 5 of which will be suspended if he successfully completes a court-approved alcohol program. He was also ordered to pay more than $2,000 in fines. The Arizona Department of Transportation will require a certified ignition interlock device for a twelve month period, and an eight hour traffic survival school.

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 Officers Arrest 1,543 Impaired Drivers

2008-12-28T09:47:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-18T17:14:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-09T13:55:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-06T17:34:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-02T15:15:00.002-07:00

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.

Holiday Arizona DUI Task Force Will Start November 27, 2008

2008-11-26T19:13:00.004-07:00

Beginning Thursday, more police and sheriff's deputies will hit the streets in search of drunk drivers. Law enforcement statewide is participating in the Holiday DUI Task Force, which runs Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. In Arizona last year, 336 people were killed in crashes where a driver was intoxicated or drug-impaired. The Governor's Office of Highway Safety coordinates the crackdown, which can include saturation patrols, DUI checkpoints and youth alcohol enforcement. A total of 2,828 Arizona DUI arrests were made during the 2007 holiday task-force period.

The legal drinking limit in Arizona is 0.08 percent, but drivers with a lesser blood-alcohol content can be cited for DUI if impaired to "the slightest degree."DUI offenders face a minimum 10-day jail term, fines and license suspensions and must install an ignition-interlock device in their vehicles.

Lindsey Collom - The Arizona Republic

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.

DUI Driver Faces A Nine Year Term After Killing Teen

2008-11-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

The man responsible for killing a 17-year-old high school band student in Chandler two years ago in a drunk-driving collision has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Raymond Kohan's sentence for manslaughter was made public Monday, just three days after another East Valley teen on her way to a high school band performance was killed when she and her brother were hit almost head-on by a suspected impaired driver.
Kohan, 35, was sentenced last Thursday.
Kohan had a blood-alcohol level of 0.155 when he ran a red light, crashing his Mercedes-Benz SUV into Sean Andjuar's sedan. The car burst into flames with Andujar still inside.
The teen, the leader of the percussion section, was headed to Sonic Brass band concert at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Andujar lived in Chandler but attended Marcos de Niza in Tempe.
After Kohan was convicted by a jury on July 1, 2008, Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman, a friend of Kohan and his family, came under fire for submitting a letter to a judge asking for leniency in Kohan's sentence despite the defendant having two prior DUI convictions in the state. Berman later retracted his letter and publicly apologized.

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.