What symptoms and behavior is the officer looking for during the initial detention at the scene of a DUI?
When the officer stops you and suspects a DUI, they’re going to listen to your speech. Do you have a slurred speech pattern? Are your eyes bloodshot and watery? Is your face flush? Do they detect an odor of alcohol? Is your clothing disheveled? Are you easily able to locate your driver’s license, and registration and insurance cards? Those are the initial things that the officer looks for.
Then, when you’re brought outside towards the field sobriety exercises, they’re looking to see whether you can follow the directions as they’re given. Then, whether you can maintain your balance and perform in a way that shows that you’re not under the influence or impaired by alcohol. Those are all subjective observations, meaning, it’s the officers opinion. The less information that we give to the officer, the easier it is later on for us to defend your case and walk away with a verdict of not guilty.
