Washington State DUI Law: Tri-cities vs. Seattle
Interesting factoids about Washington State DUI law. So Seattle gets 19 DUI arrests a night. Tri-cities gets 9-10 arrests per night. Population-wise that is a staggering statistic.
KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | DUI Bus Back in the Tri-Cities: "KENNEWICK, Wash-- The Mobile Impaired Driving Unit is run through State Patrol and it's designed to assist officers throughout the entire state. But in the last three months, it has come to the Tri-Cities three times.
Here's how it works: individual police units can request the bus, or if there's a big event, like the Water Follies, it will likely be here. But with no big events in 2009 so far, why has the bus come to the Tri-Cities multiple times?
One sergeant with the Washington State Patrol says drivers in our area too frequently gets behind the wheel drunk.
'If you're asking me if it's needed over here, of course it is,' says Sergeant Zach Elmore of the Washington State Patrol. 'Do we have a DUI problem? Yea, we really do. For us to get 9 or 10 in a night compared to Seattle, where they get 19 in a night. That kind of bothers me.'
The bus will help cut down the time it takes to process a DUI by up to an hour. It'll be in the Tri-Cities Friday and Saturday night. "
Learn more about Washington State DUI law.
King County Assessor says sorry for Seattle DUI crash
The latest public figure to be arrested for a serious Seattle DUI charge has talked with the media after several months of silence, saying that he is an alcoholic, but that he is functional and can continue to do his job.
There are many functional alcoholics in high-powered positions. The fact is that many he was doing his job well, and for all outward appearances continues to do so. If he's missed stretches of days after the accident, well, that's to be expected. Here's the Seattle Weekly's take on it:
The Daily Weekly - Scott Noble Says He's Sorry, Alcoholic...But What's His Strategy? - Seattle Weekly: "King County Assessor Scott Noble's facing a seemingly unwinnable criminal case (possibly followed by a prison term and a seemingly unwinnable civil case) over his drunk, wrong-way crash on I-5 in January. But he hadn't talked to the media until yesterday, when he gave an interview to King-5 News:
'I want to apologize, but I also want to bring up the fact that I'm an alcoholic, I'm a recovering alcoholic and have been for 20 years.'
Despite that admission, Noble insists that he is fit to continue as King County assessor, an elected office he has held since 1992.
'My disease of alcoholism has not impaired the functioning of this office, nor has it impaired my performance as assessor,' Noble said.
Except he's missed stretches of days, pretty much everyone's asked him to step down, and he'll be out for sure if he gets a felony conviction. Nevertheless, the office has seemingly functioned well, winning several awards.
When faced with similar scenarios, many public figures choose to do damage control by taking a break from their jobs and going into inpatient rehab. So why the Blago impression, and what would it mean for his case? We asked DUI defense attorney Dan Fiorito for his thoughts.
Rehab is pretty much a given, Fiorito says, but 'voluntarily entering treatment could have some play with the judge, could give him some sway with the prosecutor,' though he adds it seemed unlikely to be significant."
As I always say, better to give productive members of society who get a DUI and admit that they have a problem with alcohol or drugs a chance to get help and turn their lives around. It doesn't make sense to deprive the public of a good and willing servant if he is able to do his job.
Under Washington DUI law, he faces potentially stiff penalties. DUI cases should not be about exacting revenge or extracting punishment and pain from the accused. If society's goal is truly to keep people safe from drunk drivers, then a therapy oriented approach is best.
A glowing endorsement about a friend
It always makes me happy when I get letters of appreciate from former clients. Now, as webmaster of duiattorney.com, I have the pleasure of posting endorsements when they come in for other lawyers as well.
Here's one we received about Washington DUI Attorney Aaron Wolff:
"I strongly recommend Aaron Wolff for any legal representation needed with regard to DUI … While representing our son, I personally observed his performance and found Aaron to be exceptionally knowledgeable in every aspect of the law. He provided expert counsel during an extremely sensitive and difficult time for our family. With so much at stake … college scholarship and future career plans, Aaron demonstrated the kind of motivation and proactive approach needed to reach the very best outcome for our son. This case required him to be knowledgeable in military regulations - Aaron actively sought out legal counsel from former military Staff Judge Advocates and reviewed military regulations to obtain necessary information for the case … he fought hard and refused to give up on the end goal. As a result of his legal representation, the final adjudication was a reduced charge and complete dismissal from civil record! Aaron Wolff is not only the best attorney for the job, but will forever be a family friend!"
Wow, what a great note. I've always known that Mr. Wolff is a great Seattle DUI lawyer, but that short paragraph says so much more about him and his ability and willingness to befriend his clients.
Washington State DUI Lawyer Wolff adds local sections
Washington State DUI Lawyer Aaron Wolff has added several local pages to his WA DUI presence on duiattorney.com.
The information is good because it gives useful location-specific facts, websites and contact information for the county and municipal courts in the Seattle area.
Mr. Wolff's goal is to complete all of the major cities and courts in the Seattle area, and thereby answer many of the common questions that he gets through his profile on duiattorney.com.
In the larger scheme of things, it is important for people charged with DUI to realize that what happens in a DUI case is determined, to a large extent, by local rules, customs and procedures. Aaron Wolff gets that.
From an attorney marketing/public relations perspective, it is important to give specific and useful local information.
I believe in giving information away for free. It's out there anyways, why not have it come from us?
Seattle DUI Cases
Aaron Wolff, a Seattle DUI lawyer, posted a blog entry at DUI attorney blog about the details of a Seattle DUI arrest. Mr. Wolff points out that the differences between cities can be stark when it comes to processing a DUI.
For example, the Seattle Police Department uses different forms than other Washington State Police agencies.
Like Mr. Wolff, I think it is important that people appreciate and understand that different cities, even within the same county, treat DUI arrests very differently.
I am curious to hear from lawyers in other jurisdictions about the details of the DUI arrest and court process in their local courts.
New Washington State DUI Ignition Interlock Law
Washington State has enacted a new law that allows DUI drivers to keep their license if they agree to install an ignition interlock device. Under the new law, people who refuse to take a breath test, and who would otherwise be subject to a mandatory one-year license revocation, may drive if they have a breath test machine installed in their vehicle.
This next week I intend to ask standout Washington State DUI lawyer Aaron Wolff his opinion on the new law.
At first glance, it appears that the law may take the teeth out of WA's implied consent law, which is designed to make it painful for a person to refuse to take a breath test.
When admissible into evidence, the breath test is certainly a DUI prosecutor's best weapon towards securing a conviction. It makes me wonder why anybody would ever submit to a breath test if arrested for DUI in Washington State.
Sure, a prosecutor may be able to argue that the refusal indicated a consciousness of guilt. However, it could also just indicate a healthy distrust of breath testing technology, which is flawed to begin with.
Washington State, to my knowledge, is the first state to use ignition interlock devices to defang DUI laws. States like New Mexico and Arizona, which have had ignition interlock device laws on the books for several years use them as an additional punitive or remedial measure, not as a way to decrease the impact of a conviction or license suspension.
I certainly applaud Washington State's approach to DUI defendants. They treat them less as criminals, and more as victims of disease or bad judgment. Although Washington State DUI lawyers may disagree with me on this point, one only has to look to Arizona DUI law to see the stark contrast.
