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Some Colorado DUI cases reevaluated due to officer’s ‘bias’

On Behalf of | Dec 9, 2011 | Drunk Driving Charges |

Getting pulled over for a DUI happens to people within the state just about every day, but it shouldn’t be treated as an everyday, casual occurrence. When it happens to an individual, a DUI charge can mean limited freedoms, including jail time and a suspended driver’s license. There is also the stigma that goes along with a DUI conviction, which can be enough for anyone to see why it’s crucial to be aggressive when faced with such a charge.

Because drunk driving allegations are so serious, it’s important for law enforcement officers to respect that and, therefore, take their jobs seriously. They shouldn’t lie to DUI suspects, and they certainly shouldn’t lie in a police report related to a drunk driving arrest. But that happens. Sources report that a former Colorado State Patrol Trooper’s work regarding DUI cases was unethical, leading to the reexamination of various Colorado DUI cases.

According to reports, authorities conducted an internal investigation into the ex-Colorado trooper’s DUI cases and found that he had a habit of exercising bias in his work. He reportedly lied about field sobriety tests, a discovery that doesn’t surprise at least one criminal defense attorney quoted in The Daily Sentinel. He says that he’s had multiple clients charged with drunk driving who have complained about this officer’s false testimony.

So far, eight Colorado DUI cases have been dismissed as a result of the internal investigation. There could be more dismissals to come, however, as defense attorneys learned about the findings of the investigation this week. If you believe that you or someone you know might have suffered from needless legal consequences due to the unethical practices of a law enforcement officer, that is something that an aggressive criminal defense lawyer could try to address.

Source

The Daily Sentinel: “DA tosses eight DUIs, citing ‘bias’ by trooper,” Paul Shockley, Dec. 9, 2011

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