Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
According to an article on news4jax.com, the daughter of actor Al Pacino has been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in the state of New York.This crime is referred to as DUI or Driving Under the Influence in Jacksonville, Florida. Julie Pacino was stopped by a DUI checkpoint and after police noticed her red eyes, slurred speech and odor of alcohol on her person, she was arrested on the drunk driving charge. After being taken to the jail, Julie Pacino blew .12, which is over the legal limit of .08 in New York and Florida. Police say Pacino admitted to drinking three beers and smoking pot that night before she was stopped.
Pacino was arrested for DUI after being stopped by a DUI checkpoint. DUI checkpoints are fairly common in Jacksonville and police must follow strict rules while holding one of these checkpoints. When the Jacksonville police pick a location for the DUI checkpoint, the choice must be in the interest of public safety. There has to be some link between the location and drunk driving incidents or traffic accidents. After a location is chosen, JSO must adequately warn the driving public that there is going to be a Drunk Driving Checkpoint in Duval County so it can be avoided. The agency arranging the checkpoint has to have standardized procedures to follow written down before conducting the checkpoint. When drivers approach the DUI checkpoint, it must be very obvious that it is in fact a checkpoint. Most commonly, checkpoints in Jacksonville have a large flashing sign.
The police must also utilize standardized investigation techniques. Commonly, officers stop every third car or fourth car. Once they stop the vehicles and speak to the driver and observe signs of impairment (slurred or stuttered speech, odor of alcohol, red and watery eyes), the driver will be asked to perform field sobriety exercises. These exercises are supposed to be administered the exact same way by all police officers. The field sobriety exercises are the horizontal gaze nystagmus (also referred to as the eye test), the walk and turn, the one leg stand, the Rhomberg Alphabet, and the finger to nose.