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El Paso police arrest 35 for DWI over holiday

The El Paso police cracked down on drunk driving over the Christmas holiday and again over New Year’s Eve. The police recently reported that during the first crackdown, held Dec. 23-28, they arrested 35 alleged drunk drivers. Arrest numbers have yet to be reported for the second effort.

The El Paso Police DWI Task Force partnered with other officers from regional commands to arrest drunk drivers during both periods. Authorities in Texas are always extra motivated to combat drunk driving over the holidays, when the risk for drinking and driving tends to elevate significantly. Of course, when DUI/DWI enforcement efforts ramp up, there may be an increased likelihood of police making mistakes.

For example, field sobriety tests are fairly subjective. When police are in crackdown-mode, they may be more likely to misinterpret the results of field sobriety tests, believing that people are too drunk to drive when in fact they are not. Additionally, breath tests are not always accurate, as the technology simply is not a perfect science.

In other DWI cases, police sometimes violate the rights of Texas residents. For instance, police may make illegal traffic stops or fail to inform drivers of their rights.

Depending on the circumstances of a DWI arrest, the options for a successful legal defense vary. DWI charges can lead to very serious consequences in Texas, and defendants are often wise to seek legal counsel as soon as possible after an arrest to learn about their options. There are often criminal defense strategies available that will help minimize the effects of an arrest.

Source: El Paso Times, “El Paso police: 35 DWI cases during holiday crackdown,” Dec. 29, 2013