A DUI checkpoint can seem a little like a trap. While you can appreciate the attempt law enforcement is making to help people get home safely, it can be frustrating to be subjected to questions before there is evidence that you did anything wrong. Over the years,...
Month: July 2021
California sobriety checkpoints: Basic considerations
So-called “probable cause” is a preliminary threshold that must be met before police officers can mandate interaction with a citizen and subject him or her to a criminal search and seizure, right? If you’re reading this blog post and nodding your head in the...
Are plea deals a good option?
When you face criminal charges, it is a stressful and confusing time. On the one hand, you may want a particular outcome, but on the other, you may simply want the situation to be over. Plea deals often prey on people who want to end the situation but may not realize...
Who won and who lost the 50-year-long ‘war on drugs’?
Fifty years ago, President Richard Nixon fired the opening salvo in his “war on drugs” by declaring that “America’s public enemy number one is drug abuse.” After all these years, and after spending hundreds of billions of dollars on law enforcement, prosecution and...