San Diego Criminal Attorneys Blog

Sunday, August 28th, was a successful DUI day for San Diego Police Agencies. Officers from San Diego, Coronado, Oceanside, and Chula Vista police departments assisted by the Sheriffs Department patrolled several areas surrounding the Del Mar race grounds. The main goal for patrolling Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas was to find and remove drunk (DUI) drivers from the road. The operations was a success with the arrest of 11 people for suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The people arrested will now face both a court and DMV (department of motor vehicles) to further fight or accept charges they have been accused of.

Not only did the day result in DUI arrests of many people, but 43 other traffic citations were issued to drivers. These citations can be anything from, running a red light, rolling a stop sign, speeding, or preforming any other illegal driving maneuvers. In total the combined power of all police departments and agencies were able to stop 298 people, and conducted an amazing amount of field sobriety tests. Surprisingly out of the 67 field sobriety tests only 11 drivers were booked for driving while under the influence.

Article can be found:
DEL MAR: Authorities arrest 11 drivers in DUI enforcement operation, North County Times

San Diego police held a driving under the influence or DUI checkpoint Saturday night in the 2100 block of El Cajon Blvd. along with their usual DUI patrols in the North Park and Hillcrest areas to net more DUI drivers. At the DUI checkpoint, 404 vehicles were inspected by San Diego Police searching for valid drivers licenses, DMV registration, and proof of insurance. Of the 404 vehicles inspected 13 were pulled over into secondary inspection for further investigation of the driver's sobriety. A total of seven DUI arrests were made of these 13 drivers.

The DUI patrols also arrested eight additional drivers for driving while under the influence of alcohol and or drugs. The night resulted in a total of 16 arrests with 15 of the vehicles being impounded. Two of the 404 drivers stopped by the checkpoint were cited for driving with an expired drivers license.

Sadly on Saturday morning Bryan Larman, 28, died from a drunk driving collision in the Linda Vista area. Officers reported that Mr. Larman lost control of his vehicle, a white Mitsubishi, as he attempted to pass a slower moving vehicle. Crossing into the wrong side of the road he collided with a Nissan Frontier carrying four passengers, two of which were children. The passengers in the Frontiers were hospitalized suffering moderate to major injures. No more details have been released on the condition of the passengers or the extent of their injures.

Mr. Larman, however,suffered from severe head injuries and was declared dead once arriving at the hospital. Police say that after investigation that Bryan Larman was driving under the influence of alcohol when the collision early Saturday morning occurred.

Sources:
DUI Checkpoint, Patrol Net 15 Arrests, NBC San Diego

Driver killed in Linda Vista DUI crash ID'd, 760 KFMB AM Talk Radio

Oceanside Police Officials have stated that there will be a DUI checkpoint somewhere in Oceanside today Friday July 15th, 2011. The DUI and drivers license checkpoint location has not been released due to security reasons. However, we know that it is scheduled to take place from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. This checkpoint is intended to prevent drunken drivers from being on the road and to provide overall road safety.

Article can be found:
OCEANSIDE: DUI checkpoint set for Friday, North County Times

Apple Inc. has decided that it will reject any new iPhone applications that have the intention of helping "drunk drivers" to avoid DUI checkpoints. This decision was made after receiving pressure from four U.S. senators. Senators Harry Reid, Charles Schumer, Frank Lautenberg and Tom Udall began urging Apple, Google and Blackberry to remove such applications from their respective stores and prevent any new applications from being created and published. Arguing that these applications were helping drunk drivers avoid DUI checkpoints making the road a more dangerous place.

Blackberry developers, a Canadian based firm, agreed to comply in March, when senators first started their campaign. Apple and Google both initially refused. But after several months Apple has decided to update their App store policy to include that no iPhone application can provide the location of any DUI checkpoint to the user.

Apple has refused however, to remove any existing applications that warn drivers of DUI checkpoints. Arguing that they need to give their users a chance to remake or update their application due to the new rules in place. Many applications inform drivers of not just DUI checkpoints but of speed traps, red light cameras, school zones, speed bumps, railroad tracks and other road signals. Removing the information regard the DUI checkpoints will allow these app developers to keep their application on the App store. Failure to comply results in the removal of your app from the App store.

Wow! Government at it again over controlling our lives! What about all the people who are not driving under the influence but want to avoid a DUI checkpoint for numerous reasons including to save time or to not have some police officer invade their liberty? I am surprised that Apple gave in to such government control. It reminds me of the political quote that "the 5th Amendment only protects the guilty." How soon we forget! It wasn't that long ago when government officials could and would kick your door in and interrogate....I need not say more!

Resources used in the Article:
No new 'drunk driving' apps for Apple, Yahoo News

Escondido Law Enforcement Agencies have announced today that they will be holding a DUI and driver license checkpoint. The checkpoint is to take place from 6 p.m. Saturday to midnight.

Officers will be looking for drivers would are driving under the influence of alcohol, and those who do not have a valid drivers license. You can also expect Officers to ask standard questions about having valid licenses, valid registration, and valid insurance.

The location of the checkpoint hasn't been released so drive safely, and always have a designated driver. Other tips can be found on my website here.

Article can be found here:
North County Times

Memorial weekend is one of the biggest weekends for DUI checkpoints and DUI and Drunk Driving arrests in California. This year, San Diego County police departments arrested 129 people on the suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI's). The arrests were made by 14 different San Diego County Law Enforcement agencies between Friday, May 27th, and Saturday, May 28th. Different police methods were used to apprehend the drunk drivers but the most effective method were the DUI checkpoints.

Checkpoints were held across the County in various cities including Escondido, Oceanside, Chula Vista, Coronado and several other cities in San Diego. One such DUI checkpoint was near the toll booth of Coronado Bridge. Here five people were arrested for suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol, one driver had a previous DUI conviction. Officers from Chula Vista, Coronado, and San Diego maned the checkpoint stopping at least 750 vehicles. Twelve vehicles were impounded because drivers did not have a valid drivers license.

The California Highway Patrol did not conduct any DUI checkpoints but still had 51 arrests of suspected drunk drivers. These arrests all happened in a twelve hour period between 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28th, and 6 a.m. Sunday, May 29th. This number has increased by 25 since Memorial weekend last year.

Fortunately none of the traffic collisions in the county from 6 p.m. Friday, May 27th, to 6 a.m. Sunday, May 29th, resulted in deaths. This could be due to the total number of suspected drunk drivers decreasing by about 150 from last year. On Memorial weekend 2010, police arrested 1,029 people statewide for suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol. However, this year only 897 people were arrested for suspected DUI's.

Articles Can be Found Here:
North County Times
San Diego Union Tribune
Coronado Patch

For this memorial day weekend several North County cities have scheduled DUI checkpoints. Oceanside and San Marcos Police Departments have announced and confirmed checkpoints during this weekend.

San Marcos DUI checkpoint is scheduled to begin around 7 p.m. Friday and last until 3a.m. Saturday morning. The checkpoint is going to run on San Elijo Road but the exact location is unknown.

Oceanside Police Department have scheduled their DUI checkpoint Sunday night starting at 8 p.m. to Monday at 3 a.m. Their goal is to reduce the number of drunken drivers on the road and prevent any accidents.

These DUI and drivers license checkpoints have been quite effective in the past, just Wednesday in Escondido, Police issued 23 citations for a checkpoint they held on the 1500 block of South Juniper Street. 15 of these citations were for drivers without vehicle insurance. They also impounded 6 vehicles because the drivers did not have licenses.

Series of Articles can be found:
North County Times

From Friday night to early Saturday morning Poway Police Officers enforced a DUI and a driver safety checkpoint, located in the 16700 block of Espola Road. This DUI checkpoint resulted in the arrest of seven people, four of which were suspected of driving while under the influence of alcohol. In addition, two other arrests were made for driving while under the influence by patrol units close to the checkpoint.

Along with these DUI arrests Officers issued several traffic citations including, possession of marijuana, driving without a valid driver's license, driving without a license in possession, driving without current vehicle registration, and driving without proof of insurance.

Out of the 1,055 vehicles that passed through the DUI and safety checkpoint 18 drivers were either cited or arrested by Poway Officers. 28 of the 1,055 vehicles were pulled to a secondary stop to undergo further inspection.

Article can be found here:
North County Times
Saturday, May 14th

San Diego's County Sheriff's Department have announced that the Poway Deputies will be conducting a sobreity checkpoint, DUI checkpoint, this Friday the 13th. The checkpoint will be held in the 16700 black of Espola Road and contain about 15 deputies trained specifically for DUI checkpoints. The checkpoint will last from 7p.m. Friday night to 2:30a.m. early Saturday morning. The purpose of this checkpoint, announced by authorities was to remove intoxicated drivers as well as to educate the public by increasing the awareness of the consequences of driving while drunk.

If you take this route to go home from work, Id advise taking another route as seeing most of these checkpoint cause delay in traffic. Also remember it is always a smart decision to have a designated driver and if you cant find a designated driver to call a taxi, a parking ticket is much cheaper and easier than a DUI.

For more tips regarding DUI's visit here: http://www.seanleslie.com/lawyer-attorney-1447099.html

To read the full article visit here: North County Times Local Update Section August, 13th 2010

Oceanside Police Department has scheduled two more DUI checkpoints this week. Sergent Jeff Brandt said that these checkpoints will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Friday night to 3 a.m. Saturday morning. The goals of these checkpoints is searching for drunken drivers. The location of these checkpoints is being withheld from the public until the after the scheduled time. As we know from before these checkpoints are usually held on large streets, like Oceanside Blvd., El Camino Real, and several others. As always be sure to have a designated driver for any partying this Friday night, and every party occasion. But if you do get arrested for DUI feel free to call for a FREE legal consultation.

North County Times, Local Upates; Local Briefs, DUI checkpoints Announced June 2, 2010

Oceanside Police officers are conducting a DUI checkpoint this memorial day weekend to look for drunk drivers. It's scheduled to run from 8p.m. on Sunday to 3a.m. early Monday morning as part of their DUI enforcement and awareness program. Police have not yet released any location on were this DUI checkpoint would be located.

Please be aware that recent Oceanside DUI roadblocks have been located on Oceanside Blvd. between El Camino Real and Rancho Del Oro and on College Blvd. between Via Cupeno and Adams street. Remember it is best to not drink alcohol and drive and if you go out drinking with friends make sure you have a Designated Driver. However, if you are arrested for a DUI please feel free to call my firm for a free legal consultation.

North County Times May 25, 2010

OCEANSIDE: Checkpoint set for Sunday night

As you know from the previous blog, San Diego County Police Departments had been scheduling Police Checkpoints to keep a watchful eye for drunk drivers this St. Patrick's Day. Three people were arrested at the Poway checkpoint and taken to jail, two with suspicion of drinking while under the influence of alcohol and the other was arrested due to warrants. About 600 vehicles were checked at the Poway checkpoint, in the 13300 block of Twin Peaks Road, during the checkpoint hours, which consisted of Wednesday 7:00pm to Thursday 3:30am.

Not only were three people arrested, but also several people cited for various crimes. A total of eight people were cited for driving with a suspended license, or without a valid drivers license. Out of the eight people, a total of six cars are to be impounded, resulting in at least a 1,500 dollar output by the cited driver. Another person was cited for driving with an open bottle of alcohol in the car. Make sure you toss out that extra alcohol, even if it isn't yours as the driver and belongs to your friend in the passenger seat, no open alcohol bottles should be in a car.

The checkpoint received its operating costs from a grant issued by the state Office of Traffic Safety. As a future note to drivers out there, the city plans to have at least three more checkpoint in the next coming months, so take the extra precaution and get a designated driver.

Three arrested at checkpoint, North County Times Friday March 19, 2010

This St.Patrick's Day North County police officers are going to be on heightened alert looking out for drunk drivers in Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar. The time of alertness will between 7:00pm Wednesday through 3:30am Thursdays, Saint Patrick's Day itself and the following morning. Officers will be confiscating any unregistered or unlicensed vehicles they pull over for at least 30 days. Not to mention this will all be at the drivers expense; at a price of at least 1,500 dollars. San Diego Police department is asking anyone to call 911 so they may report drunk drivers providing the cars model, license plate number and the location of the vehicle.

Time to designate a driver, cause its not worth the trouble this St. Patrick's Day of getting pulled over, and losing your car for possibly 30 days.

DUI enforcement Scheduled, North County Times, March 17, 2010

On the bright side, in San Diego, the California Highway Patrol has reported no fatality accidents over the first 12 hours of the July 4th weekend. On the not so bright side, the CHP reports 36 driving under the influence "dui" arrests over the same time period!

However, throughout the State dui arrests were up from last year. This year the dui arrests were 454 compared to 342 last year. Traffic accident deaths statewide was 5 which is one more than last year.

Locally, in Escondido, police arrested three people on suspicion of dui and also impounded 46 cars at a dui and drivers license checkpoint on Friday night from 6:00p.m to Saturday morning at 1:00a.m.. Over 3,000 cars drove through the checkpoint and nearly 1600 drivers and cars were screened. Police impounded sixty-six cars, forty two of which the drivers were unlicensed.

No Fatalities So Far on San Diego County Roads, July 4, 2009, KFMB Talk Radio

3 DUI arrests, 46 impounds at checkpoint, North County Times, July 5, 2009

Continue reading "San Diego CHP Reports No Fataliteis But 36 DUI Arrests" »

In San Diego and North County law enforcement will be out in force this weekend! This includes city police and CHP officers. The 4th of July weekend is unfortunately known for one of the most dangerous weekends to travel. Last year 41 people died on the California roadways over the July 4th weekend. Please do not drink alcohol and drive! If you do get stopped please know some dui tips on what to do! Have a safe weekend!

Continue reading "San Diego Police & CHP Out in Force for July 4th Weekend" »