What is dui saturation patrol

In most cases being pulled over by a saturation patrol is the same as being pulled over by any other police car. However, saturation patrols have been criticized for targeting areas where minorities live. No matter how you were arrested for DUI, a good lawyer can help you. Fill out the form to the right or call and get your free consultation today. Please leave this field empty. Consent is not a requirement of purchase. Click to call. Saturation patrols look for changes in driving behaviors.

The behaviors most often assessed are the following:. However, not all law enforcement agencies have the same guidelines for saturation patrols. While the idea behind a saturation patrol is that a large number of law enforcement officers will look for drunk drivers, other police departments instead have an entirely different approach. The idea there is that by casting a wider net and inspecting all cars and drivers for any and all traffic citations, they can observe those that might be DUI.

That is done by by conducting stops to give tickets, and making initial observations for any and all of the following:. Any of those can lead to a request that the driver submit to field sobriety testing, or a breath or blood test. While a DUI checkpoint that is properly run under legal guidelines does NOT need to establish probable cause to inspect for DUI, a saturation patrol still needs to have probable cause.

A Saturation Patrol must have a legal violation to justify the stop and effectively a search of the car, or body through breath or blood , and thus are different than DUI checkpoints.

These checkpoints must comply with the requirements set forth by the California Supreme Court and can be avoided by drivers who do not want to pass through the roadblock. DUI saturation patrols are simply a significant increase in the amount of officers assigned to a particular area during a limited amount of time. The presence of extra officers often acts as a deterrent effect to those considering driving under the influence.

Many law enforcement agencies favor DUI saturation patrols over DUI checkpoints because they are more effective, there is less of a staffing requirement and they are easier to perform. These saturation patrols do not create the same legal issues that checkpoint operation pose and may lead to more DUI arrests and convictions. In Los Angeles, Officers working on DUI saturation patrols may be expected to generate a high number of arrests and may not give as much attention to any individual DUI investigation as they normally would.

If DUI protocol in regards to investigation and testing are not followed, there may be grounds to have the case dismissed. The defense would be able to review the incident reports and any audio or video recordings of the arrest and investigation and can cross-examine the officer on his or her conduct during the DUI arrest and investigation. In addition, DUI saturation patrols have often been criticized for targeting areas where a high percentage of minorities reside.

If the saturation patrol was performed to target a specific community, there may be grounds to have resulting DUI arrests thrown out. If you or a loved one have been arrested in Los Angeles for DUI, it is imperative that you review your case with an experienced DUI attorney right away.