In recent years, the use of body cameras by law enforcement has grown more and more commonplace. The main objectives were to protect residents from overly aggressive officers during arrests—especially after several cases of officer-involved shootings in the United States—and to shield police officers from any unfounded complaints by suspects and witnesses. Although these miniature cameras ...
On June 22, the U.S. Supreme Court said law enforcement generally needs a search warrant if it wants to track a person’s location through cellphone records of an extended period of time. The ruling was 5-4 with Chief Justice Roberts joining the court’s four liberals. Now, the prosecution cannot obtain the location data of a suspect without written approval from a judge. This ruling comes in favor ...
In an 8-1 vote last week, the U.S. Supreme Court said that law enforcement must have a warrant to search vehicles parked at private homes. This is the second time this month that the justices rejected arguments by police for expanding the “automobile exception” to Fourth Amendment rules against unreasonable searches and seizures. The case (Collins v. Virginia) arose from a search for a Virginia ...
One of the most common pieces of evidence used in DWI cases are breath tests. While it is not illegal to drive with alcohol in your stomach, it is only illegal if it impairs your ability to drive or if your BAC is at or above the legal limit of .08%. Thus, the best way to prove a DWI case is to test someone’s BAC. However, mouth alcohol that +-is a common factor that can throw off a breath test. ...
In the event of a traffic stop due to suspicion of DWI , the police officer may ask the driver to step out of the vehicle and perform several tests, commonly known as field sobriety tests (FSTs). These tests are administered to determine a motorist’s level of intoxication. The three most common FSTs include the following: The walk-and-turn The one-leg stand The horizontal gaze nystagmus However, ...
After a night of heavy drinking, it is common for individuals to attempt to sleep off their intoxication in their parked vehicles, hoping to feel fine and drive off upon waking up. Unfortunately , many of these instances involve police officers charging these folks with a DWI. In many states throughout our country, including Texas, if you are intoxicated in your parked car, you may still be ...
While the holidays may be filled with joy, cheer, and celebration for many people, they are also unfortunately subject to a sharp increase in certain types of crime. On this blog, we examine three crimes that occur more commonly during the holidays, and how to help avoid yourself from falling victim to one of them. Shoplifting Retail stores frequently stock up on inventory and make sure the ...
