Citizen DUI 911 Calls

As more and more drivers have cell phones, many Ventura County DUI arrests begin with a citizen calling 911 to report a possible drunk driver. In these situations, another driver allegedly witnesses something they believe to indicate that the driver of another vehicle may be intoxicated, and calls 911. The 911 dispatcher then puts out a broadcast to law enforcement officers relaying the content of the 911 call, and the law enforcement officers then attempt to find the person who was reported and pull them over. These types of cases present many problems for the prosecution, as the law mandates that the reporting party must witness that something that constitutes a crime, a vehicle code violation or some sort of unsafe driving. In addition, the caller must also provide a sufficient description of the vehicle in question and the location.

Frequently, much of the information that the law requires is not provided by the reporting party, in which case you’ve got a great chance at fighting your case. Even if all of these elements are met and the caller provides all of the information required by law, the prosecution still must bring that person or the dispatch operator to court to overcome the hearsay objections that an experienced Ventura County DUI attorney would make. Whenever our Ventura County DUI attorney reads a report where the reason for the stop is a citizen 911 call, we file a motion that forces the prosecution to prove that the reason for the traffic stop was valid and lawful. If we are successful in challenging the reason for the stop, then ALL of the evidence against you will be excluded from your case, and the prosecution will be forced to dismiss your Ventura County DUI case. If you may have been pulled over because of a citizen 911 call, or if you don’t know why you were stopped, please contact The Law Offices of David Lehr Law to set up your free initial consultation.