FIGHTING for THE RESULTS YOU DESERVE

Drunk driving crackdowns continue in Colorado in early 2014

The consequences of a drunk driving arrest can be dire. License suspicion, fines, installation of an ignition interlock, even jail time can stem from a DUI arrest. As 2014 gets underway, Colorado law enforcement officers are working as hard as ever to arrest you on a drunk driving charge. But, an arrest is not the same as a conviction, and if you are among those picked up in one of the recent Colorado drunk driving sweeps, you have the right to stage a legal defense and contest the charges against you.

DUI arrests have generally been down in Colorado, but Super Bowl weekend is an exception

The Heat Is On campaign is an ongoing initiative in Colorado paid for chiefly by fines levied against those convicted of drunk driving charges and federal grants. The Heat Is On consists of a dozen annual heightened DUI enforcement periods scheduled on holidays or weekends thought to have particularly high rates of alcohol consumption and drunk driving.

Over the 2014 New Year’s enforcement period, 431 drivers were arrested for DUI throughout Colorado. This represented a 14 percent decline from the 501 drivers who were arrested over the previous New Year’s enforcement period.

Overall arrests resulting from The Heat Is On campaign were down for 2013. A total of 6,989 were arrested in Colorado during the 12 enforcement periods of 2013, compared to 9,784 over the 2012 enforcement periods.

Arrests may be going up during one enforcement period, however: Super Bowl weekend. While arrest numbers for this year’s Super Bowl weekend enforcement period have not yet been released, last year’s Super Bowl weekend DUI arrests totaled 421, up from the 275 DUI arrests reported in Colorado during the 2012 Super Bowl weekend enforcement period. Considering that the Denver Broncos were in this year’s Super Bowl (to say nothing of their bitter defeat), it isn’t farfetched to imagine that there was even more drinking going on this year in Colorado and a higher DUI arrest total for the enforcement period.

Fight DUI charges with the help of an experienced DUI attorney

You might not think you can fight a DUI charge, but with the right legal help, it is entirely possible. Perhaps evidence was collected in violation of your rights. Perhaps the officer did not have a valid reason for stopping you. Perhaps blood or breath tests were administered incorrectly or using improperly calibrated equipment.

By exposing these types of weaknesses in the prosecution’s case, an experienced Colorado DUI lawyer might be able to get the charges against you reduced or dismissed. After fines, increased insurance premiums and other costs, a DUI conviction can wind up being a significant expense. Staging a strong legal defense is an investment that can pay large dividends. If you were among those arrested in one of Colorado’s recent DUI crackdowns, get in touch with a DUI lawyer today and begin building your legal defense.