Seattle Criminal Attorney | Navigating a Traffic Stop
One of the most horrible feelings you can possibly suffer is on that extended drive home late at night following a couple of drinks at the pub. You feel all right, but identify deep down that feeling okay isn’t what really matters. And afterward you notice them, flashing lights in your rear view mirror, and you know you are going to need a Seattle criminal attorney.
A DUI detention is one of the most scary experiences there are, if, for no further reason, there are so many unknowns. Will the officer assume you are hammered? Will you lose your driver’s license? Will you have to go to jail? Could you perhaps immediately have squandered thousands of dollars in criminal attorney fees and fines down the drain? All of these inquiries probably race through your head, and with justifiable cause.
This post, on the Seattle Criminal Attorney Blog, optimistically, will make you a little less scared. While you shouldn’t drink and drive, if you stumble on yourself in that place, at least in Washington State (Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, etc.) this commentary is going to ensure you have the greatest chance of making it home out of harm’s way. But keep in mind, this data is not legal advice. Prior to making any decisions that might shape your legal rights or fate, please confer with a criminal attorney. Each case is distinct, and you need a DUI attorney Seattle to assess your individual occurrence to distinguish exactly what to do.
There are various important things you should comprehend about your usual DUI detention in Seattle. First, the majority of the time you are not being detained on suspicion of criminal (according to the police officer). Even though it is 1:00 a.m. and he’s out pulling you over for failing to use a turn signal, a DUI is not the actual grounds he’s pulling you over (okay, so it most likely is, but it is extraneous here – if they’ve got a cause to pull you over, they can). Assuming you weren’t swerving all over the place or doing something in addition to make the officer consider you were intoxicated, getting the stop over as swiftly as achievable is the target.
Getting it completed signifies three things: (1) act politely; (2) say as little as feasible; and (3) once it seems as though the initial encounter is concluded, inquire if you may go so you can get to your house. After the officer pulls you over, he is looking for symbols that you are drunk. We all understand what those are: glassy, bloodshot eyes; slurred speech; the smell of alcohol. Try not to offer out those clues to the police officer if achievable (don’t speak too much). The goal is to stop the officer from establishing probable cause that you are criminal. Without that he is going to have a hard time detaining you.
Subsequently, if he asks you to move out of the sports car, you can do so. However, if he asks if you’d mind taking a couple of field sobriety tests, at this point is where you must take a direction different than that of a good number Seattle drivers. Respectfully refuse. You don’t even have to give an reason. In Washington State, you have the right to stay silent, to refrain from providing incriminating evidence hostile to yourself, including field sobriety tests. It prevents a lot of proof from being obtained that can be used in opposition to you later, and it is the right thing to do. Nevertheless, be ready, for the reason that it may get you taken to the station for a breath test (if they take you, however, you were going anyway).
Now, here is the critical part. The minute they say you are going to take a breath test, let the officers realize you desire to speak with a Seattle criminal attorney. As soon as you do this, more than a few things happen.
First, the police cannot interview you any more. And second, you get to speak to a criminal lawyer to figure out what you ought to do next. And, no matter what time of day, an attorney is available (many criminal attorneys make themselves accessible for precisely such phone calls). And any criminal defense attorney ought to be able to direct you to someone who will answer the telephone. And if you don’t know who to call, a public defender is generally on call, so even at three in the morning you’ll have a person to speak to.
From there on, you should in fact do what your criminal defense attorney says, as your particular state of affairs, counting any prior offenses, your occupation, how much you’ve had to drink, and other things, can influence what you need to do going onward.
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