We'll its the Holiday Season, whoop dee do, as law enforcement will soon be all over you.
Christmas time is prime time for DUI and drug arrests.
Whether its the St.
Lucie County Sheriff's Office Trafficking & Distribution Drug Interdiction Team or aggressive DUI patrols in Martin, St.
Lucie, Indian River or Brevard County, keep your eyes wide open, your hands on the wheel and don't drive impaired or do anything illegal.
Again, impairment or drunk driving can be because of alcohol or prescription medication.
Whatever the case, I'll be providing you with my twelve days of Christmas - Criminal Defense attorney style - well, during the next twelve days - up until the big day.
Again, as I have often stated, don't do drugs, sell drugs or drive drunk.
However, if you do find yourself doing those things, you still have rights.
Note that law enforcement will be on heightened alert during the holiday season.
You've scene the adds on t.
v.
They are cracking down on drunk drivers.
So we'll start the twelve days of Christmas by letting you be aware that on day one law enforcement may kick off their prowling by setting up DUI checkpoints.
Often times they will even let local media know that they are setting up DUI checkpoints where they will be stopping cars.
Now they wont' pull over every car, but they will determine in advance, by a formal document, that they'll pull over a particular number of car consistently.
Thus, buy using a predetermined number, they can argue that they are not picking on particular drivers.
Again, this system is not full proof.
Accordingly, if the cops don't conduct it correctly, a good DUI attorney might be able to suppress the stop.
Day two might involve police pulling speeders over.
Day two might involve stopping people for defective equipment such as inoperative tag lights.
Day three might involve stopping folks for expired or obscured tags.
Day four might involve stopping folks for swerving or following too closely.
Day five might involve stopping folks for loud music.
Day six might involve them patrolling the parking lots of bar.
Day seven might involve them hiding behind bridges or other objects to catch folks running, or doing California, or rolling stops, at traffic and stop lights.
Day seven might involve them walking up to you while your sitting in a car and noticing that you're impaired.
Day seven might involve them stopping folks for littering while they're driving.
Day eight might involve them stopping people for failure to wear a seat belt.
Day nine might involve them stopping motorists for window tint violations.
Day ten might involve them stopping motorists for failure to secure their children in car seats.
Day eleven might involve them stopping people for obscuring their back windows.
Day twelve might involve them stopping you for obstruction of other traffic by pulling too far into the intersection or for waiting for the light to cycle too many times.
Bye now, if there is anything they can do to stop you to see if there is alcohol on your breath, and if your exhibiting signs of impairment, they will do it.
Frankly, there are even more things they can do to stop you, but the ones I listed above are the most common.
Now, let me slightly switch gears, but still continue to focus on your rights and protecting them.
Any good lawyer will tell you, "don't give the cops permission to search your car and don't give law enforcement permission to come into your home without a warrant.
: They'll be jumpy to jump, or better yet, to get, in your car or house.
Who is to say, that someone you don't know or trust, left you - a law abiding citizen - with something illegal in your car or house that you didn't know about it.
Also, be careful who you allow to drive in your car or live in your home.
Who knows what they are doing, and what they may trafficking, distributing or manufacturing.
Happy Holidays and be safe out there.