Shapiro & Lozano
The Indiana State Police recently announced the purchase of 777 portable breath test devices. However, this is the just the latest of an ongoing wave of more 2,600 portable devices purchased by law enforcement across the state since 2017.
Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties here in Indiana have the dubious distinction of being the top in the nation for drunk driving fatalities. According to a recent review by the newspaper in Munster, 140 of the 373 fatal crashes in these counties (between 2010-2014) involved drunk driving. This is 35 percent, which is considerably higher than the rest of the state’s average of 25 percent and the national average of 28 percent.
It is fun to tell stories about crazy college shenanigans. It can be just trading stories in-between classes or sitting around with friends. Those stories, however, can be used by public speakers for light-hearted asides speaking to large groups of alumni or professionals.
Many remember (or don’t) the crazy times they had in college. Unfortunately, major binge drinking in young adulthood has proven to lead to such issues as drug and tobacco use, alcoholism, alcohol poisoning, liver damage, accidental injury or death, and even alterations to the developing brain structure.
When it comes to marijuana-impaired driving, everyone agrees that a fairer test is needed. When marijuana was illegal nationwide, it made some sense to have a so-called "per se" rule. If a properly performed test found marijuana in your system, you were considered guilty.
The penalties for drunk driving are severe, and increase with the number of times that individuals are charged. Generally speaking, the first few OWI convictions will be considered a misdemeanor. That can change to a felony, however, which may result in a more severe punishment, including a prison sentence that can range from 6 months to 20 years. It also leads to higher fines, lengthier probations and other potential penalties. While OWI laws vary, there are some general guidelines.
July 4 is the holiday where we celebrate the birth of our country. But it also has a long tradition as a day and holiday where friends and family gather to have fun, fire up the grill, have a few cold beverages and watch the fireworks.
Sobriety checkpoints are legal here in Indiana, so many drivers here have been through what actor Vince Vaughn did at a zero tolerance checkpoint at 12:30 a.m. between Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, California.
The Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards officially reprimanded a Ramsey County District Court judge on May 30. The judge was arrested on drunken driving charges early on New Year’s Day. According to a news article, Judge G. Tony Atwal was also criticized for using his office to get special treatment.
Anyone who is pulled over on suspicion of DUI or OWI knows the drill. While the officer will often ask a series of questions, it often inevitably ends with the driver taking a Breathalyzer, blood or urine test. The most popular roadside test is the breath test with a Breathalyzer, which has been used as evidence in more than one million DUI convictions in America each year. If the officer suspects that the driver is driving while above the legal blood alcohol concentration limit of .08 percent, they can use implied consent to force driver to take this test and then use it as evidence against the driver.
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