Las Vegas witnesses around 61 car crash per day. If the police pull you over, arrest you, and charge you with a DUI in Las Vegas, hiring a lawyer can be the best move you make. A competent attorney specializing in this field is your only hope of getting favorable results from your case.
While it might seem as though there isn’t much a Las Vegas DUI Lawyer can do to help you – after all, it’s your word against the arresting officer – there are several ways they can influence the outcome of your case.
Challenging the Stop
There are three instances when an officer is allowed to stop someone legally:
- They have reasonable suspicion that you’re indulged in criminal activity.
- They see you commit a traffic violation.
- They have a genuine reason to believe you’re impaired and need immediate attention.
An experienced DUI lawyer might be able to prove that the officer who pulled you over didn’t follow proper procedure, which would invalidate the stop.
For a Las Vegas officer to have reasonable suspicion of criminal wrongdoing, it must be more than mere curiosity or a hunch. The officer must describe and explain the behavior they witnessed that made them suspicious, and they must justify why their suspicions warranted making a stop.
If your Las Vegas DUI Lawyer proves that the police were profiling you, the stop was illegal, and any evidence gathered during the process is inadmissible in court.
Questioning the Officer’s Observations
There are several ways a Las Vegas DUI attorney can discredit the observations for which the police pulled you over. They might be able to prove that you weren’t as impaired as the officer claims or that you didn’t commit the specific violation he reported.
Perhaps your taillights or headlights were out, or maybe they were working, but the officer claims they weren’t. In the case of a DUI, an attorney may be able to challenge whether or not you were driving erratically, speeding, or weaving between lanes.
Arguing That You Took a Field Sobriety Test
If you submitted to a field sobriety test and failed, your Las Vegas DUI attorney will probably challenge the test results. For example, they might claim that you weren’t read your Miranda rights before beginning the examination, and therefore, anything you said during it was inadmissible in court.
They’ll also try to prove that any field sobriety tests were faulty or poorly administered. For instance, if you had poor footing while trying to stand on one leg or couldn’t follow the officer’s finger with your eyes, there’s a chance that any of these tests could be deemed invalid.
Refuting That Breathalyzer Results are Reliable
A Las Vegas DUI attorney will challenge anything they can regarding breathalyzer results. They might argue that the machine is not maintained well or calibrated correctly.
They’ll also attack the arresting officer’s qualifications, claiming no studies show they’re capable of administering these tests properly.
Be aware that blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results are generally considered accurate in most cases, but you can contest breathalyzer results can be successful under the right circumstances.
Final Thoughts
A Las Vegas DUI attorney is your best chance at minimizing the impact a DUI will have on your life. By carefully examining the evidence against you, they can either show that you’re innocent or help get your charges reduced to something more manageable.
