Pennsylvania Criminal & DUI Defense News

March 8, 2008 - Crawford County, PA has started a DUI task force.  With a funding grant from PennDOT, local police departments will coordinate on DUI enforcement and deterrent efforts, that include additional DUI patrols and sobriety checkpoints and roadblocks. According to the Crawford county district attorney, one third of the district's prosecutions are DUI related.  [news here].

March 6, 2008 - There is a new DUI court in Lebanon County, PA dedicated to second offense DUI/drunk driving offenders. Instead of mandatory jail time, participants are able to engage in a two year intensive alcohol treatment program. The new court is similar to what some counties (Bucks county) have for a drug court, offering treatment programs instead of harsh sentences for drug possession. See this news article for more details.

December 16, 2007 - An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer talks about how new technology automatic license plate scanners are being employed by Pennsylvania police departments. If you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, your car can be flagged simply by driving down the street if you pass by a police cruiser equipped with one of these devices. This makes it all the more imperative that you get legal help if you have a warrant for your arrest for failure to appear in court.

July 31, 2007 - An Article on DUI Convictions in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that cites statistics directly from MADD.  In the article, MADD claims that there were 1,616 traffic deaths in Pennsylvania in 2005, 636 of which were "alcohol-related traffic deaths".  What is the source of the alcohol statistics? What is the definition of alcohol related? Does that mean that someone may have had one drink? The phrase alcohol related seems to be too closely chosen to be believed. If there is proof that the accidents they cite were caused by drunk drivers, why wouldn't  they say that?

Attorney David Shrager is a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA representing clients facing criminal charges, including drunk driving/DUI.