Most Tennessee driving under the influence (DUI) cases start with a traffic stop.Once a police officer observes a traffic violation then the police have probable cause for a traffic stop.One traffic violation that I see in Nashville are seat belt violations.
Under Tennessee law , all those in the front seat of a car or
For the last three years , I have organized the annual DUI continuing legal education seminar for the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense lawyers. It is scheduled for October 21 and 22 2010 in Tunica , Mississippi.Here’s a list of the presenters for day 1 of the seminar;
You might be wondering why I have a picture of Electronic Express on West End Avenue in Nashville , Tennessee on a criminal law blog.. Here’s why.This parking lot is where a lot of DUI enforcement officers set up radar to catch drunk drivers speeding. A traffic violation is probable cause to stop a car..
One of the critical elements of any drunk driving (DUI) investigation is the field sobriety tests. In this post , I hope to explain what the police officers are looking for in the walk-and-turn test. The walk-and-turn test is just one of the three standardized field sobriety tests. Often , I have clients that tell me
As summer fades, the Labor Day weekend is upon us. Motorists and boaters will be out in full force in the Volunteer State this weekend. Holiday weekends also mark an increased effort by the police for DUI enforcement and more boat checks by the Tennessee Wildlife Resource officers.Firs , I encourage every one to drive safe
Another misconception about drunk driving cases are they are just like any other criminal case.Here’s an example. In the normal first degree murder case , the State of Tennessee will have the police do an in depth crime scene investigation. The, the assistant district attorney may order ballistics tests , blood splatter patterns and collect
The fall out from the erased DUI video tapes by the Nashville, Tennessee police department continue. Attorney David Brandon was the first attorney to discover the erased tapes. I congratulate him for discovering what had happened. However, I think everyone needs to be aware that the erased DUI tapes are not a get out of jail free
Here’s an update on the 1300 DUI videos that were destroyed. At first Metro Nashville Police blamed ICOP Digital stating the software had a flawed update. Brian Haas of The Tennessean reported today on the company’s response. Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson. You can
Tennessee ‘s new bail bond laws on DUI second offenses and greater goes into effect on January 1 , 2011. Tomorrow , I am presenting a webinar for the Tennessee Bar Association on the new DUI bail bond laws as well as tips on how to lower a bail bond. I will be answering questions on the
A faulty software update erased 1300 Nashville DUI arrests. Metro Nashville Police report that the videos that were erased were from October 2009 until April 2010. All of Nashville’s DUI unit police officers have a video in their patrol car. The purpose of the video is to record the field sobriety tests and