Along with an emergence of new Raleigh, North Carolina nightlife, local law enforcement is getting serious about enforcing DWIs through an enhanced system of sobriety checkpoints. Local reporting online from February shows a consistent framework of sobriety checkpoints that apparently have been initiated, in part, by previous DWI court cases.
In addition to the traditional sobriety checkpoint, reporters are noting other kinds of control situations including “saturation patrols” in busy downtown areas, where police officers may observe bar patrons and others, to try to determine who is driving under the influence.
Working Within the Process
One item that’s also revealed in the February report is that previously, some judges ruled that Raleigh law enforcement departments could not use checkpoint evidence in court, because of a lack of consistent guidelines.
One case that was reported on involved an officer mandating a blood test without a warrant, after poor performance on field sobriety tests and a driver who declined to give a breath test.
State officials, law enforcement workers attorneys all understand that it’s important to enforce traffic laws to decrease traffic fatalities and injuries. However, it’s also important that law enforcement departments work within the legal framework, in order to avoid abuses of power that can have devastating effects on those who may be unfairly or excessively targeted.
Many of those local Raleigh drivers who are singled out for DWI enforcement can have their sentences adjusted, or even get their cases thrown out, be relying on a professional Raleigh DUI defense attorney who will evaluate whether a traffic stop or other police activity was in keeping with federal, state and local law. Many times, elements of the legal process are not followed correctly, which can lead local judges to dismiss a case. When individuals are charged, on the other hand, they may face extreme penalties on drivers licensing, as well as financial costs, not limited to fines, but also extending to costs that they may have to pay for their involvement in the legal process, for instance, the costs of wearing a monitoring device. Many will also face strict family and lifestyle changes as a result of probation.
A Raleigh DUI Defense Attorney will help to balance the legal process to understand the rights and needs of local DUI/DWI defendants and their families against the need to enforce traffic laws uniformly and fairly.
Contact an Expert
In and around the Raleigh, NC area, Ben Hiltzheimer represents those who are charged with DWI or other crimes in downtown Raleigh as well as Wake and Durham Counties and other nearby areas. Our professional criminal defense attorneys represent clients in speeding and traffic, DUI/DWI, drug possession, or felony charges and other criminal cases. Contact us to get a professional defense lawyer on your side to help you handle your case and understand your rights under the law. Contact us online or by phone for a free consultation.
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Criminal attorney Ben Hiltzheimer is a criminal defense attorney with offices in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, who represents individuals charged with DWIs and the full spectrum of misdemeanors and felonies. Contact us for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation at (919) 899-9404.
BENJAMIN (BEN) HILTZHEIMER
Ben is an experienced trial lawyer who earned his law degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was trained in trial practice at the nation’s preeminent Public Defender agency, the federally funded Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, described by United States Attorney General Eric Holder as “the best public defender office in the country.”
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