RSSCar culture is an iconic part of Los Angeles, from the notorious traffic jams to high-speed (or low-speed) chases through the suburbs. Still, driving in and around L.A. carries with it certain risks, not least among them the risk of getting arrested on a DUI charge.
Hundreds of people are emerging from the recent Memorial Day weekend with DUI charges, gleaned from increased police presence in the L.A. region. Multiple agencies combined efforts and cracked down on drivers throughout Los Angeles County, funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. Police set up DUI checkpoints on Friday through Sunday of the holiday weekend and arrested 499 individuals. While that number seems staggering, it is actually 30 fewer arrests than the previous year’s crackdown.
Still, the last thing anyone wants is a DUI charge over any weekend. The penalties for a DUI conviction in California include a suspended license, hefty fines or even jail time. A DUI first offense, no doubt faced by many of the suspected Memorial Day offenders, can put a convicted driver in jail for up to six months.
For those who assume DUI checkpoints are only a holiday occurrence, they can and do happen on a fairly frequent basis. Recently, Santa Monica Police announced plans to hold another DUI checkpoint during the first full weekend in June. While authorities did state that the operation would be in effect for several hours, they noted it would be at a location unknown to the public.
Those who find themselves on the receiving end of California DUI charges have several options. They can take the matter lightly and hope for the best, they can take a gamble and fight the system alone, or they can enlist professional help. An experienced DUI defense attorney understands the nuances of effective DUI defenses, from deconstructing a police traffic stop to scrutinizing field sobriety testing. There are many more, but all depend on the unique circumstances surrounding each DUI case.
A Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer well-versed in DUI can potentially reduce charges, which can also reduce the possibility of the harshest penalties. For more information, contact the Law Offices of Jonathan I. Kelman at 310.286.1218.