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Ohio DUI / OVI lawyers and Ohio criminal defense attorneys serving clients throughout Ohio, most all counties and cities in Ohio including: Cleveland • Akron • Massillon • Canton • Mansfield • Marion • Lima • Youngstown • Dayton • Westerville City • Newark • Columbus • Pinesville • Cleveland Heights • Toledo • New Castle • Strongsville • Cincinnati • Warren • Parma • Parkersburg • Springfield • Elyria • Brunswick • Euclid • Mentor • Lancaster • Cambridge • Sandusky • Port Clinton • Middletown • Findlay
Have you Been Charged with a DUI?
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Cleveland, Ohio OVI, DUI And DWI Defense Lawyer / Attorney
Quinn Legal Associates, INC
Youngstown DUI / OVI Defense Attorney
DUI Roadblocks Sobriety Checkpoints
DUI roadblocks, also known as sobriety checkpoints, take place when Ohio police officers stop every motor vehicle on a public roadway and question the operater. DUI checkpoints are set up at strategic areas at significant times, such as holiday weekends. They are frequently joint efforts including multiple law enforcement agencies (ex: DUI Task Force) such as the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the local Police Department.
In the event that the questioning officers uncovers proof that the driver may be intoxicated, the driver is further detained and investigated with field sobriety tests and breath testing. Attorneys at Quinn Legal Associates, INC will evaluate whether the checkpoint was operated properly as well as whether sobriety testing was given correctly.
Advantages of Sobriety Checkpoints in Ohio
The actual objectives behind sobriety checkpoints are to prevent drunk driving, identify drunk driving, and punish intoxicated drivers. Even though it is impossible to measure deterrence, there have been measurements associated with the number of people charged with drunk driving as a result of Driving under the influence checkpoints.
A extremely small percentage of all motorists stopped at DUI checkpoints in Ohio are charged with Driving under the influence, so not many intoxicated drivers are detected or punished by setting up OVI roadblocks in Ohio. Hundreds or thousands of motorists, however, are inconvenienced by the process.
In 1990, the United States Supreme Court upheld the validity of DUI roadblocks in Michigan v. Sitz. The Court found the intrusion/inconvenience of individuals being stopped is outweighed by the government’s interest in curbing drunk driving. In the same year Sitz was decided, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published recommended procedures for Driving under the influence roadblocks.
For a DUI checkpoint to be lawful, law enforcement have to follow guidelines concerning such issues as the location of the checkpoint, the operation of the checkpoint and the publicity of the checkpoint. In addition, if a driver stopped at the checkpoint is further detained for a OVI investigation, that detention must be warranted by reasonable suspicion and any kind of subsequent criminal arrest must be based on probable cause.
DUI / OVI Defense Attorney in Cleveland OH
If you or anyone you know have been charged with DUI in Ohio, contact a Ohio DUI / OVI defense attorney at Quinn Legal Associates for a free consultation regarding your case.
