Gwinnett County Police Department Preparing to Hire 100 New Police Officers

The Gwinnett County Police Department is getting ready to hire up to as many as 100 new police officers and 20 communications officers position. The Department will hold hiring events for both jobs on December 1 and December 2, 2018.The addition of so many new police officers means more DUI enforcement on Gwinnett County roadways.

If you or someone you care for has been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol in Georgia, an experienced Gwinnett County DUI attorney is here to defend your case and protect your rights.

Gwinnett County DUIs

DUI enforcement can occur in a variety of ways in Georgia. With so many new officers getting ready to be on the roads, the increased likelihood of a DUI arrest will be much higher.

New officers are often inexperienced, and even the most experienced officers make mistakes when it comes to making a DUI arrest. These mistakes may make the difference in defending your DUI case, or negotiating a favorable plea bargain with the county prosecutor.

There are a few common areas where law enforcement officers commonly make mistakes related to DUI arrests.

Field Sobriety Tests

Field sobriety tests are notoriously inaccurate to start, and an untrained or inexperienced officer may make even more mistakes when it comes to identifying the characteristics of an inebriated driver. Officers are trained to look for:

• Inability to perform field sobriety tests
• Slurred speech
• Trouble balancing
• Difficulty walking or standing
• Bloodshot eyes

Even when no "mistakes" are made by a police officer, field sobriety tests are not known for their accuracy. In fact, they are known for quite the opposite. With experienced legal help you can challenge the results of these tests.

Initial Traffic Stop

Police officers are required to have "probable cause" to pull you over. It is not enough that an officer is looking for drunk drivers; an officer is required to see some type of traffic infraction to justify the initial stop. In many cases, law enforcement officers fail to have appropriate probable cause to initiate the stop.

When this is the case, evidence gained as a result of the illegal stop can be suppressed, or kept out of evidence before the court. Without the evidence needed to convict, in many cases the prosecutor is forced to dismiss the case against you.

Roadside Checkpoints

Roadside checkpoints are areas where law enforcement stop every vehicle to look for intoxicated drivers. These checkpoints catch many inebriated drivers every year. However, the checkpoint itself is required to follow very strict constitutional guidelines. If these guidelines are not met, the checkpoint may be invalid.

As a result, any DUI arrests made as the result of a defective roadside checkpoint may be dismissed. A trained DUI defense lawyer can analyze the facts of your case to look for defects with the roadside checkpoint.

Consult a Gwinnett County DUI Attorney

If you or someone you care for has been arrested for DUI you need to present the best possible defense to protect your constitutional rights.

An experienced Gwinnett County DUI attorney can defend your case and protect your rights. Contact us today for a free consultation.