In 2012, Tempe Police made 2,479 arrests or issued citations for illegal consumption by minors. The legal drinking age in Arizona is 21. Students make a large portion of the Tempe population. Spring semester brings with it graduations, celebrations, prom, sporting events and other festivities. The ASU and Tempe Police brace themselves and…
Some studies show that an estimated 15 to 33 percent of fatal crashes may involve drowsy driving. In a recent survey reported by the National Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Institute of Medicine on average, an alarming 5% of respondents reported falling asleep at the wheel, 30 days…
Arizona is known for having some of the toughest laws and harshest penalties in the country. Most DUI convictions call for jail terms, and in some cases prison. If you plant to visit, reside, or drive through Arizona, you should be familiar with these laws. Driving under the Influence A.R.S 28-1381:…
An Arizona Legislator introduced HB2574 last month, intending to protect 4th Amendment Constitutional Rights from unreasonable searches. Passing of this Bill would have outlawed police drone use to collect evidence in criminal offenses. Arizona is one of at least 24 states considering passage of bills designed to address constitutionality of evidence…
The question before the US Supreme Court is “When is a DNA search lawful?” US Supreme Court Justice Alito called it “Perhaps the most important criminal procedure case that this Court has heard in decades.” The state argued that DNA testing at the time of arrest would help solve cold…
In 2012, Mesa Police reported 3,112 DUI arrests. Of those, 41.6 percent involved some type of drugs. This represented a slight increase over 2011 which was 41.2 percent. Many of these involved synthetic drugs, spice, bath salts, Marijuana, and prescription drugs. To help address the rising drug DUI arrests, Mesa…
A recent ruling could mean that a motorist who last smoked Marijuana in a legal state a month prior to traveling to Arizona, may be arrested and prosecuted for Marijuana DUI. An Arizona Court of Appeals marijuana DUI dismissal was overturned recently in favor of the prosecution, and returned the…
News Story That Went Viral Last week in the news, we learned of a suspect was arrested on minor drug charges: unlawful possession of a controlled substance, Xanax. When she appeared in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, the Judge questioned her about her assets, for purposes of a release bond. The suspect…
The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Reversed a Drug Conviction recently based on the cumulative effect of violations resulting in error by the lower court. The errors pertained to two denials of requests for discovery by the defendant and violations in Rules of Criminal Procedure for sentencing. The panel…
“Describe the ‘young man’ who walked into the room earlier,” asked the teacher. Later the student learns the man that the teacher referred to was in fact, 55 years old. So the question begs, “Was he a “man”; or was he a “young man”? This is an illustration of when…