Las Vegas Criminal Defense Blog

The Sparks Police Department is teaming up with several other agencies to implement Nevada DUI Checkpoints on New Year's Eve. Grants made by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety are making it possible for additional officers to be added to the task force. In 2011, Sparks had four fatal car crashes which involved drunk driving.

Also called "sobriety checkpoints," Nevada DUI Checkpoints are when police cordon off certain areas of a high-traffic road to check drivers for signs of drunk driving. Every car which goes through the checkpoint is stopped, and the police will ask the driver if he/she has had anything to drink. If the police suspect the driver is under the influence, the police will conduct field sobriety tests including the one-legged stand, the walk-and-turn, and the horizontal gaze nystagmus eye test.

Nevada DUI Checkpoints are common over holiday weekends such as July Fourth. In order for a checkpoint to be legal, the police must abide by various regulations including using a flashing red light that's visible to oncoming traffic. It's illegal to drive through a checkpoint without stopping, and the driver may face high fines or even prison depending on whether the driver caused injuries.

For more on this story go to: http://www.foxreno.com/news/news/crime-law/dui-enforcement-campaign-setup-christmas-and-new-y/nF7n5/

To learn about what happens if someone gets arrested at a DUI checkpoint in Nevada, watch our informational video:

Over Fourth of July weekend the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the Nevada Highway Patrol will be setting up DUI checkpoints throughout Clark County to check for violations of Las Vegas drunk driving law. Two of the locations include Charleston Boulevard at Community College Drive and Paradise Road north of Tropicana. These checkpoints will be in effect starting Friday at 7 p.m. through Saturday at 3 a.m.

Las Vegas drunk driving law makes it a crime to operate a car while intoxicated or with a BAC of .08 or higher. So drivers who aren't technically impaired may still be found liable if their blood contains too much alcohol. Drivers suspected of DUI may be asked to submit to a preliminary breath test, field sobriety tests, and maybe a final breath or blood test.

Penalties for violating Las Vegas drunk driving law depend on the severity of the incident. As long as no one got hurt, a first or second DUI conviction within a seven-year period is a misdemeanor in Nevada carrying a maximum of six months in jail and several other penalties. But a third DUI in seven years is an automatic felony carrying prison. And any DUI that results in substantial injury or death is also a felony carrying prison.

For more on this story go to: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/28/police-announce-dui-checkpoints-holiday-weekend/

Harry Reid is one of four senators pressing for smartphone makers to cease offering apps which alert motorists to DUI checkpoints. Some say the apps contribute to injuries and deaths because they help drunk drivers avoid being caught before there's an accident. But others believe the apps dissuade drunk drivers from taking the wheel to begin with.

Nevada DUI law makes it an offense to drive drunk or high. Even if you're not impaired, having a BAC of .08 or above is a violation of Nevada DUI Law. Typical defenses to DUI allegations include faulty breath testing equipment, police misconduct, and lack of evidence.

Penalties for breaking Nevada DUI law turn on the driver's history and severity of the incident. A first or second DUI with no injuries is just a misdemeanor carrying a maximum 6 months in jail. But a third DUI in seven years or a DUI resulting in injury or death is a felony carrying potentially several years in prison.

For more on this story go to: http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/27302968/detail.html

This Memorial Day weekend Las Vegas Metropolitan Police orchestrated one of the most aggressive DUI Checkpoint operations ever and arrested dozens of motorists. Authorities say fatalities resulting from drunk driving so far this year are down 72% from last year, and they credit DUI checkpoints for the improvement. Once the cars entered the checkpoint, the officer asked the driver if he/she had been drinking. If the officer smelled alcohol, he/she conducted field sobriety tests followed by a breathalyzer test.

Las Vegas DUI Checkpoint laws make it legal for law enforcement to pull over drivers even if they're not displaying any signs of driving under the influence or haven't committed any traffic violations. Authorities are not required to publicize checkpoints in advance for them to be lawful. However, Las Vegas DUI Checkpoint laws do outline strict rules mandating that various signs and signals be displayed on the highway in order to give motorists some advance notice that a checkpoint is ahead of them.

Las Vegas DUI Checkpoint laws make it a crime to drive through a checkpoint without stopping and following the officers' orders. If no death, substantial bodily harm or damage to property exceeding $1,000 occurred, then the driver faces a gross misdemeanor charge of up to $2,000 in fines and/or up to 1 year in jail. Otherwise, the motorist faces a felony B charge that carries up to $5,000 in fines and/or 1 to 6 years in prison.

This Memorial Day weekend, Nevada drivers will see several more DUI checkpoints throughout the state. Several forces are joining in the effort, including the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Eastern Nevada Narcotics Task Force, Goshen's Community Development Coalition, and the police departments in Las Vegas, Lincoln County, White Pine County, and Mesquite. The patrols will be in high traffic locales in Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties.

Nevada felony DUI law makes it a category B felony to drive under the influence of alcohol if 1) you already have two DUI convictions in the last seven years, or 2) if the drunk driving caused the death or serious bodily injury of another person. If a fatal DUI accident is caused by someone who already has three previous DUI convictions, the driver will be charged with the category A felony of vehicular homicide. Otherwise, DUI in Nevada is usually charged as a misdemeanor.

The penalties for breaking Nevada felony DUI law can be very harsh. For a third DUI in seven years, the prison time ranges from one to six years. For a DUI causing death or injury, the prison range is two to twenty years. And the fines for violating Nevada felony DUI law range from $2,000 to $5,000.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.elynews.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/news20.txt