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I got pulled for a field sobreity test....

She should have never been asked to take a breathalyzer after she passed all the sobriety tests.

You know how many times a fool with a bac of .20 told me they passed the field sobriety tests?

Unless you are trained in the administration of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you aren't qualified to say whether she passed or failed.
 
But if you pulled someone over for just weaving thinking they were drunk then the Police would have to pull over a lot more cars, my point is that I think a lot of the time they pull people over hoping they have had a couple of beers. Got to hit that quota right?

What quota?
 
^^^^

Ladies and Gentlemen, the response of a 12 year old.

The verdict comes after time has passed and additional evidence is collected. It is the full picture of what happened on that day. The problem is that reality doesn't work that way. In the real world, we don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle at the time we're making decisions and we have to rely on impressions and perception.

If a cop suspects you were drinking, and you refuse to take the breathalzyer, you are only confirming his suspicion. He has a duty to protect the public and that means getting you off the street.

The problem was that they played the system right.

They got a jury. Juries are known for not convicted impaired drivers unless they are beligerant and moronic.

I won a breath refusal (no blood), NO BAC case before a jury and his tests were fail, but not REALLY bad.

However, I won the case, ONLY because our cars have microphones in the prisoner transport area, and while I was searching/securing his vehicle in the parking lot, he was in the backseat of the vehicle laughing hysterically to himself and calling me a ****ing asshole. Its the only reason I won the case.
 
Yes they do have a quoto for apprehending innocent people my friend. Don't you know, they don't give a damn about protecting the public. Its all about revenue generation. If you can't tax em to death arrest them and make em pay. Law enforcment officers and the cities/states they work for are crooks.

Thanks for the personal attack.

Now can you show evidence that I am a crook?
 
Sir, I am 52 years old. I served my country in the armed services. I have woked hard all my life and have been successful. I have gained the wisdom in my years to understand how things work. I resent your refering to me as a 12 year old.

Sir, I served my country in the Armed Services and now as a Police Officer. I have worked hard all my life and have been successful. I have gained the wisdom in my years to understand how things work. I resent your referring to me as a crook.
 
I think the State should have to pay the defendants lawyer and for the defendants time.

If that were the case.... with the current crop of judges I've seen lately (including one who was just sent to Juvenile court by the chief district judge for botching MANY rulings)... I'll sit on my ass and not do anything for the people for fear that a judge decides to rule differently from the rest of the judges and even the law.
 
Moderator's Warning:
Gentlemen, we need to keep the discussion civil. Personal attacks are not permitted at DP, and provoking them with needlessly inflammatory comments can also be infractable. Deep breath everyone....

My apologize if my posts are in violation of your warning. This warning wasn't noted in the thread title, and I respond to stuff as I see it, so I just came upon this warning.
 
The problem was that they played the system right.

They got a jury. Juries are known for not convicted impaired drivers unless they are beligerant and moronic.

I won a breath refusal (no blood), NO BAC case before a jury and his tests were fail, but not REALLY bad.

However, I won the case, ONLY because our cars have microphones in the prisoner transport area, and while I was searching/securing his vehicle in the parking lot, he was in the backseat of the vehicle laughing hysterically to himself and calling me a ****ing asshole. Its the only reason I won the case.

I feel terribly sorry for the prosecutors who are stuck trying these cases if the juries in your area are as you say...

Two of the most thankless jobs. The police, and the lawyers who support them.
 
How accurate are breathalyzers?

Have there been any published tests where the breathalyzers results were compared against traditional blood alcohol tests taken at the same time?

Breath results are always lower than blood results.

A blood result is always going to show a higher BAC.

The breath result only shows the alcohol content that has settled in the lungs, which isn't ALL of the alcohol in the body.

Breath results can also be manipulated by the subject quite easily.... The HARDER you blow, the lower your result will be...... This is because the DEEP LUNG air holds the most accurate BAC count, and if you blow really hard and the breath instrument has enough air in it to measure, your breath won't reach the deep lung air where the more accurate and higher result is.

Its always funny when people blow really soft thinking they can somehow cheat the instrument when they are doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing.
 
I feel terribly sorry for the prosecutors who are stuck trying these cases if the juries in your area are as you say...

Two of the most thankless jobs. The police, and the lawyers who support them.

I lost a .14 case once to a Jury.

Then again, it was 4 years after the arrest, and the arrest was my first DWI arrest ever, I was not NHTSA trained in DWI field sobriety tests, and didn't have the experience at the time to know how best to take notes on what was important and what was not important to write down and remember.

Oh well though, He was a nice defendant. (Most of the people I arrest are nice folks, I just had a nice conversation with a man on my way to the jail after arresting him for DWI about what we would do with our lottery winnings if we had won... conversation spurred after me reading a Powerball billboard sign.)
 
But that doesn't answer my question.

Are there published results on how many percentage points these tests are off on average?

The results will always be inconclusive. It all depends on a wide range of factors involving how deep of a lung sample the breath test got out of the subject, how long it had been since their last drink, absorption rates for the individual (how much food eaten), etc.
 
They measure different things. Broad equivalents are:

35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
107 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

In the UK system, blowing a positive on the initial test wins you a further two tests back at the police station, on a calibrated evidential machine. You do two tests and they act on the result of the lower one. The limit is 35, but if you blow less than 50, you will be asked for a blood or urine test. Depending on that result you may be charged. If you blow more than 50, then you will be charged anyway. Refusing to participate in testing is an offence by itself.
The Brit cops don't do sobriety tests as such, though they will do a similar routine if they suspect you are high, including fingers to nose, time perception, pupil size, etc.

Well, they are "equivalents" per se.

Its 0.08 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath
OR
0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

at least those are the measurement standards in NC. (and most of the US).
 
However, was it "Interrogation" or was it just "passing the time".

I'll admit, as backup officer on a traffic stop, it can be awfully awkward just standing by with passengers staring them down. Doesn't lighten the mood any. Usually, I'll ask questions casually to pass the time....


Well, you and I both know that there's no such thing, really, as a "casual conversation" with an officer during an official stop. Anything you say can and will.... etc.

An officer asked him where we'd been and where we were going, common questions during a stop.

There wasn't really anything for him to "give away"; we hadn't done anything remotely illegal to my knowlege... but you never really know, there are more laws on the books than anyone can keep up with. Fortunately my son has been trained not to babble like an idiot, and that anytime you're not sure you should speak it is best to 'keep your own council." He was polite and cooperative and answered their questions briefly and otherwise shut his mouth, as I've instructed him to do in such a situation.



It wasn't really any big thing, it's just that I'm protective of my only child... even if he isn't really a "child" anymore. I prefer to be there with him when he interacts with any official person in regards to any serious matter, just in case teenagerhood causes a temporary attack of The Stupid.
 
You were there?

Goshin.... was he there?



Its always "random" with you people..... until it isn't.


It wasn't "random". As I said, an unmarked was behind me on the frontage road. I hit some dirt clods or something in the road and it jerked the steering wheel around, forcing me to compensate.... that is apparently when they decided I was "weaving" and needed to be checked out. The marked cruisers intercepted me as I turned onto the next main avenue with lights on. I had no problems with their reason for pulling me over and checking me out.

I can't say it was FUN.... I prefer to avoid official encounters with law enforcement entirely... but I didn't have an issue with the why of it.
 
Yes they do have a quoto for apprehending innocent people my friend. Don't you know, they don't give a damn about protecting the public. Its all about revenue generation. If you can't tax em to death arrest them and make em pay. Law enforcment officers and the cities/states they work for are crooks.

lol...your right rock...I had a daily quota...abuse as many people as I could...I was SOOO DAMN good at it, I got commendations for doing triple my quota everyday. We used to have bets between all the patrolmen who could harrass the most citizens per shift....Robberies..who cared...rapes who cared...murders who cared...fights, domestics, armed robbery WHO CARED...it was all about breaking the citzens balls and making our quota....lololol
 
I posted this a LONG time ago. In MY experience, this describes people who have problems with the police and constantly say negative things about them:

There are three kinds of people who have a problem with cops:
1) The very small minority who have actually been mistreated or had someone close mistreated by one.
2) Folks who have absolutely no reason other than thinking it's "cool" to be obnoxious to cops/authority.
3) Folks who have gotten into legitimate trouble with the police and instead of taking responsibility for their behaviors, prefer, instead to blame the police for their own screw ups.
 
I posted this a LONG time ago. In MY experience, this describes people who have problems with the police and constantly say negative things about them:

They are our first line, and yet they get treated like crap.

Frankly, I have only talked crap to one officer. He gave me a ticket for a traffic violation on my way to graduation. Took forever. The infraction? Following too closely. In bumper to bumper traffic. Without an accident. What a dick. LOL. Our state law is really vague on it, it only says "reasonable and prudent" distance must be maintained, but you can't really prove that it wasn't reasonable and prudent without an accident so...

But other than that dick... I've never run into a bad cop.
 
Thanks for the personal attack.

Now can you show evidence that I am a crook?


Caine, after your retired a few years...your entire attitude will change. What annoys you now, will make you laugh and you will have no desire to try and explain to those that cannot understand what your telling them or are so biased that they wont acknowledge it. I gave that up on forums years ago. I do pray though that every drunk behind the wheel has a cop up thier ass before they kill someone else.
 
They are our first line, and yet they get treated like crap.

Frankly, I have only talked crap to one officer. He gave me a ticket for a traffic violation on my way to graduation. Took forever. The infraction? Following too closely. In bumper to bumper traffic. Without an accident. What a dick. LOL. Our state law is really vague on it, it only says "reasonable and prudent" distance must be maintained, but you can't really prove that it wasn't reasonable and prudent without an accident so...

But other than that dick... I've never run into a bad cop.

I've only had an issue once with a cop, also. Long story that I ended up winning about in court. Other than that, the cops I've dealt with have been professional and respectful. And I also learned that one of the best ways to get treated fairly by a cop is to tell the truth and to treat THEM respectfully.
 
I've only had an issue once with a cop, also. Long story that I ended up winning about in court. Other than that, the cops I've dealt with have been professional and respectful. And I also learned that one of the best ways to get treated fairly by a cop is to tell the truth and to treat THEM respectfully.

And make their jobs easier...

Every time I get pulled over (so I'm a bit of a speeder, what of it?), I make sure I do everything I can to cooperate. I park the truck (I've actually seen some people just hold their foot on the break. Really people?), turn on the inside lights, turn off the truck, and keep my hands on the steering wheel. I'm not fishing around for my insurance or registration or license... I want the officer to be able to see my hands at all times. When they ask me if I know why they pulled me over, I cop to it. When they ask for my documentation, I tell them where I will be reaching BEFORE I reach there, and I move slowly enough so that there is no confusion or question as to what I'm doing. It's always yes Sir and no Sir (or Ma'am). If I have a question, I always ask it in a respectful manner. I try my best not to act put out by the experience.

I find, that the more cooperative I am, the more understanding they tend to be.

Whatever the outcome, at the end of the encounter I'm sure to shake their hand and thank them for their service.
 
And make their jobs easier...

Every time I get pulled over (so I'm a bit of a speeder, what of it?), I make sure I do everything I can to cooperate. I park the truck (I've actually seen some people just hold their foot on the break. Really people?), turn on the inside lights, turn off the truck, and keep my hands on the steering wheel. I'm not fishing around for my insurance or registration or license... I want the officer to be able to see my hands at all times. When they ask me if I know why they pulled me over, I cop to it. When they ask for my documentation, I tell them where I will be reaching BEFORE I reach there, and I move slowly enough so that there is no confusion or question as to what I'm doing. It's always yes Sir and no Sir (or Ma'am). If I have a question, I always ask it in a respectful manner. I try my best not to act put out by the experience.

I find, that the more cooperative I am, the more understanding they tend to be.

Whatever the outcome, at the end of the encounter I'm sure to shake their hand and thank them for their service.

I do the exact same thing as you. The last time I was pulled over (my car was overdue for inspection) the officer asked me why that was. I told him that I had no excuse, I just hadn't. I suppose he appreciated the honesty (and the fact that I had no violations on my license) and let me go with just a warning.
 
They are our first line, and yet they get treated like crap.

Frankly, I have only talked crap to one officer. He gave me a ticket for a traffic violation on my way to graduation. Took forever. The infraction? Following too closely. In bumper to bumper traffic. Without an accident. What a dick. LOL. Our state law is really vague on it, it only says "reasonable and prudent" distance must be maintained, but you can't really prove that it wasn't reasonable and prudent without an accident so...

But other than that dick... I've never run into a bad cop.


There are bad cops period...all cops know that there are...theres bad everything...
 
There are bad cops period...all cops know that there are...theres bad everything...

And there are bad doctors and lawyers and teachers and store clerks and football coaches and clergy and...

That doesn't mean that you should assume the one you are dealing with is bad. Period.
 
I've only had an issue once with a cop, also. Long story that I ended up winning about in court. Other than that, the cops I've dealt with have been professional and respectful. And I also learned that one of the best ways to get treated fairly by a cop is to tell the truth and to treat THEM respectfully.

Cops must feel like they're damned if they do and they're damned if they don't. If an officer underreacted to some guy weaving all over the road (speaking generally, not saying that's what Goshin was doing), and that person went on to wreck into someone, sure as ****, some people would complain that cops don't do enough.
 
And there are bad doctors and lawyers and teachers and store clerks and football coaches and clergy and...

That doesn't mean that you should assume the one you are dealing with is bad. Period.

Right. I don't think there's anyone who would deny that there are bad cops, but they're the exception not the rule.
 
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