As reported by the Orange County Register this month, the Orange County Sheriff's Department has received a significant state grant designed to
arrest persons who have consumed alcohol and driven a vehicle. $874,852 has been allocated for
sobriety checkpoints (which notoriously do NOT result in many arrests) as well as roving
DUI patrols (which do result in many arrests).
As part of this new money, police officers will become more aggressive in what we call COURT STINGS - hanging out in court parking lots, running the history on the license plates of cars parked in the court lots, and waiting to see who gets into the car when they leave court. Some judges call this practice "FISHING" and believe it is an effective tool in getting people who are driving on a
suspended license arrested. Along with current technology which allows a moving patrol vehicle to scan license plates and respond by an audible "ding" these actions are now being funded for court parking lots. The same practice happens every day near bars and restaurant parking lots near you!
Obviously everyone wants the roadways to be safe, but the long arm of the law is not only reaching out to put you in the grasp of the officer's handcuffs, but is being used to search and find someone they may think is
driving impaired or
under the influence of alcohol, instead of to protect and serve when they actually view someone driving drunk.
If this has happened to you, please don't attempt to fight the government with all of its resources by yourself. Call our office to arrange for your
free consultation, 949-585-7400 or visit us at
www.duiqueen.com.
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