Law enforcement officers in King County arrested 656 drivers for DUI during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign from Nov. 27 through Jan. 1. Mind you that is just in King County. Statewide officers arrested 2,723 drivers for DUI. If you’re wondering how that compares to last year. In 2012 in King County, during the same time period, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 795 people for DUI. Thus there was quite a significant decrease in my opinion.
The extra patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The commission has gone on record saying “the holiday season is an important time for these patrols, given the number of holiday festivities that often involve alcohol. These and all extra patrols are part of Target Zero—striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.”
If you were arrested for DUI in King County during this period then chances are you will be receiving notice in the mail for a Court date, if you haven’t already. That notice is for your DUI arraignment. In King County the DUI arraignment procedure varies from Court to Court. But essentially this is where you will enter a formal not guilty plea. The Judge will set a few conditions you have to follow while the case is going on. These range from simply staying out of trouble to bail, SCRAM, or IID requirements depending on the severity of the crime and the criminal record. Once those conditions are set then you will be given a new Court date called a pretrial hearing.
I have previously blogged about whether you should bring your own King County DUI Attorney to your DUI arraignment. I am of the opinion you definitely should, especially if your breath test level was a couple points higher than the legal limit. In Seattle Municipal Court DUI’s for example if you have a breath test level at .10 or higher the Judges will always try to set bail and require an ignition interlock device for the entirety of the criminal case. Clearly having your own DUI Attorney there to object to these Seattle conditions is a good idea.
If you haven’t contacted a DUI Attorney in King County yet about your DUI arrest then feel free to contact Leyba Defense PLLC. I’m the owner of the firm and I speak with you about your situation, how I can help, and of course what your options might be. It’s a completely free no hassle consultation where hopefully I can put your mind at ease about the post-DUI arrest process here in King County.
