Courtroom Testimony Case Scenario
It was 11:30 p.m. on my Friday night shift. I was going south on the 100 block of Elk Drive right in front of the high school. As I was driving I got a call reporting a possible drunk driver that was heading my direction in a 1990 blue Chevy pick-up truck that is weaving all over the road. As I was driving, I clocked a vehicle coming my direction at 60 mph. I notice the vehicle is veering into my lane so I steer right to avoid a crash. As the vehicle passed, I noticed that it matched the description from the call of a possible drunk driver. I turned my car around to pull over the truck. As I pulled the driver over, I ask him for license and registration. I noticed that his speech was slurred, and he seemed defensive. I asked the driver if he has had anything to drink tonight. He replies that he has not.
I then asked the driver to step out of the car so I can ask him a few questions. As I was asking the questions, the driver was very unstable and not capable of standing. I asked the driver to take multiple sobriety tests. For example The Finger to Nose which is the driver stands, with the head tilted back and eyes closed, with arms stretched out to his sides. The suspect then attempts to touch the tip of his index finger to his nose, first with one arm and then the other. Reciting the Alphabet which is the driver is asked to recite the alphabet, sometimes backwards. Also, the Breathalyzer which is a breath examination device which produces an estimate of blood alcohol based upon the chemical analysis of a breath sample. All of which he failed to pass. During the Finger to Nose analysis he was unsteady and beginning the test before full instruction was given. During the Alphabet examination, he was skipping letters, and blew a 0.42. I knew from that moment the driver was driving drunk and I needed to make a arrest, so that is what I did.