DUI Defense Attorneys With Extensive Experience With Checkpoints
DUI checkpoints are police-planned stops, which are usually set up during events or holidays to check for suspected drunk drivers. Not all cars are stopped during this process, though officers typically follow a sequence, stopping every other car or every third or fourth car. At these checkpoints, drivers are checked for signs of drug or alcohol impairment, including slurred speech or the scent of alcohol. However, police must have reason to believe a driver was drinking before performing a breath test.
For more information about Butler County DUI checkpoints or to get started on your case, contact us for a free consultation.
Are Checkpoints Legal?
These police-planned stops often feel like an intrusion and violation of our rights, but they are legal in 39 states, including Ohio. That said, police must abide by certain rules, such as publicizing the checkpoints by printing them in local newspapers and announcing them on local radio stations about a week in advance. Failure to do so could be used as evidence that a checkpoint was not legal.
What To Do At A DUI Checkpoint?
First and foremost, it is crucial to be polite and cooperative when you are stopped at a DUI checkpoint. If a cop suspects you are intoxicated, he or she will ask you to pull over to a secondary location, out of the way of traffic. You will be asked to perform a series of field sobriety tests, but you are not required to submit to these. If asked to take a chemical test, you should comply with this, or you will receive a one-year driver’s license suspension.
Protect Your License Today
If you are facing DUI or OVI charges, you need to seek the immediate assistance of a skilled DUI defense attorney. At the Meadows Law Firm, we have over 45 years of combined experience and have handled the most challenging DUI cases, so you can be confident in our ability to effectively pursue the best possible outcome for your case.
Contact us today for a free consultation from our Southwest Ohio checkpoint arrest defense attorneys.
