DUI Blogger

Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming California DUI checkpoints for this 4th of July 2011 holiday weekend. You can always call the local law enforcement agency a couple of hours prior to the sobriety checkpoint’s start time to find out more information.

Even if there isn’t a scheduled DUI roadblock in your area, know that the California Highway Patrol and your local sheriff and police agencies will be participating in increased DUI saturation patrols throughout the state.

Friday, July 1st
The Salinas Police Department will operate a DUI / driver’s license checkpoint Friday night in an undisclosed location within the city of Salinas.

The Riverside Police Department will conduct a drunk driving / driver’s license roadblock from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the City of Riverside.

The Los Angeles Police Department will be operating two sobriety checkpoints: one from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. in LAPD’s Devonshire Area on Reseda Boulevard at Nordhoff Street and the other from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. in LAPD’s North Hollywood Area on Lankershim Boulevard at Cumpston Street.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Risk Management Bureau’s Traffic Services Detail, will be conducting a DUI / DL checkpoint from 6 p.m. until approximately 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the City of Lancaster.

The Santa Monica Police Department will be conducting a sobriety / driver’s license checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city of Santa Monica.

The Redlands Police Department will operate a DUI / driver’s license roadblock in the eastbound lanes of Redlands Boulevard, between Sixth and Eighth streets from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m.

Saturday, July 2nd
The Blythe Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the City of Blythe.

The LAPD will operate a sobriety checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. in LAPD’s Southwest Area on Figueroa Street at 40th Place.

The Thousand Oaks Police Department will set up a DUI and driver's license checkpoint at an undisclosed location from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Sunday, July 3rd
Although we couldn’t find any actual DUI / driver’s license checkpoints set up for Sunday, July 3, 2011, there are going to be DUI saturation and roving patrols throughout the state.

Monday, July 4th
The LAPD will be operating a sobriety checkpoint from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in LAPD’s West Los Angeles Area on Pacific Coast Highway at Temescal Canyon Road.

Be safe and have a great holiday weekend!

With the end of school, the fourth of July and summer parties comes underage drinking and driving. Being arrested is a scary experience for anyone. And if it’s scary for an adult, imagine how much more so it must be for a child. Obviously, no one wants to receive a call that his/her child has been arrested for DUI. But just in case this nightmare turns into a reality, you may want to talk to your children about California laws regarding juvenile interrogation.

If your child is stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, California police are permitted to ask him/her questions in order to determine whether or not he/she has been drinking and driving. If they believe he/she has been…and place him/her under arrest…they may try to trick him/her into confessing to the offense or into making other incriminating statements. Make sure you prepare him/her for this experience in the unfortunate event that he/she finds him/herself in this situation.

Because California laws permit officers to conduct juvenile interrogations outside the presence of the child’s parents, parents should instruct their children to

• remain polite,
• truthfully give their full names,
• ask for a parent and a lawyer (even though neither will be immediately called),
• not apologize under any circumstances or say anything incriminating,
• try to remain calm and, above all else,
• invoke his/her right to remain silent.

Other than providing his/her identifying information, your child is under no obligation to provide any additional information/answers. The biggest mistake that any arrestee makes is believing that he/she can talk his/her way out of the situation…this may especially be the case for a child who has been drinking. Prepare him/her for the worst and hope he/she will never have to utilize this information.

Glendale drivers got an unpleasant wake-up call last week. Over 70 drivers were slapped with tickets for texting or talking on a cell phone while driving.

The citations were issued as part of a “distracted driver” sting operation conducted by Glendale police officers.

Texting while driving is prohibited by California Vehicle Code Section 23123.5. Texting is an infraction punishable by a fine of $20 for a first-time offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.

Texting while driving can have consequences beyond a fine, too. It can be used as the basis for a traffic stop that ultimately results in a charge for violating California Vehicle Code 23152(a) drunk driving.

A violation of the related “hands free” law (talking while driving) also can lead to a stop and ultimate arrest for violation of California Vehicle Code 23152(a) drink driving.

The Los Angeles Police Department is notorious for conducting DUI checkpoints throughout the San Fernando Valley. Many people incorrectly believe that if they are arrested at a checkpoint, there is no point to fighting the case. And do you know what? Many people couldn’t be more wrong! The fact of the matter is that checkpoint arrests are very defensible. The key to fighting the case lies in finding the right attorney. And, when the arrest takes place in the “Valley”, the right attorney is someone who routinely defends DUI cases at the Van Nuys Courthouse.

A local San Fernando Valley drunk driving defense attorney not only knows how LAPD sets up their checkpoints…and therefore also knows which protocols and procedures he/she can successfully challenge…but also knows the most persuasive arguments to convince the Van Nuys prosecutors and judges that his/her client’s DUI charges should be reduced or even dismissed.

Checkpoint cases require a DUI defense attorney who has mastered the California laws that regulate these very controversial roadblocks. And San Fernando Valley checkpoint cases require a local attorney who understands how the prosecutors and judges process DUI cases at the Van Nuys Courthouse. An attorney who fits both bills will surely prove unstoppable!

If you are arrested for driving under the influence on Los Angeles’s “Westside”…that is, Santa Monica, Venice, El Segundo, Century City or Culver City…your case will most likely be assigned to the LAX Airport Courthouse. And whether your DUI arrest stemmed from a checkpoint stop, a traffic accident or a simple moving violation, if you’re going to appear in that court it ALWAYS helps to have an attorney who regularly defends DUI cases at the LAX Airport Courthouse.

Most drunk driving cases don’t go to the jury; they get resolved during plea bargain negotiations that typically begin at the arraignment and continue until both sides reach a mutually satisfying agreement. Since this is the case, it is critical to hire an attorney who is not only familiar with the prosecutors, court staff and judges, but who has established relationships with these individuals.

A lawyer who knows how DUI cases at the LAX Airport Courthouse are handled knows just how far he/she can go with those negotiations…which prosecutors are going to offer the best “deals”…which judges will be the most lenient…and which courtroom staff will do what they can to help expedite your case and make things run as smoothly as possible.

If you find yourself facing DUI charges at the LAX Airport Courthouse, make sure you contact a local DUI attorney…you will surely do yourself a disservice if you don’t.

Assemblyman Michael Allen of Santa Rosa has proposed a new bill (AB 1389) that would eliminate the current practice of impounding vehicles for unlicensed drivers stopped at California DUI sobriety checkpoints if the cars could be moved to a safe location or released to a licensed driver.

This issue grabbed Allen’s attention when members of local churches voiced concerns that Latino and undocumented immigrant drivers were being unfairly targeted since they are prohibited from receiving California driver’s licenses. Many of these immigrants are forced to leave their cars in impound because they can’t afford the substantial costs of having their vehicles released. Many are also being deported because their illegal status is revealed once they are caught driving without a license.

In addition to regulating vehicle impounds, the new bill would also require that California DUI sobriety checkpoints only be operated on roads with a high rate of drunk driving arrests as opposed to random locations that often pop-up in minority neighborhoods or high-traffic areas.