NCJ Number
148000
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 42 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1994) Pages: 20-23
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
One of the most important functions of police officers assigned to traffic enforcement is the detention, arrest, and conviction of those driving while impaired.
Abstract
The average DUI violator commits that offense 80 times per year and alcohol-related crashes are nine times more likely to result in death than are non-alcohol-related crashes. DUI enforcement officers point to three key factors that improve their effectiveness: being skilled at DUI detection, being willing to arrest every DUI violator, and having total agency support in their efforts. Good observation skills are particularly important in DUI detection. Officers who are successful in gaining DUI convictions seem to know what to look for, ask the right questions, and document the evidence required to convict. Officers need to record evidentiary clues as soon as possible after the arrest is concluded in order to ensure their accuracy and completeness. Scientific tests, including breath analysis, can help substantiate prearrest tests documented by the officer.