It has become a tradition that is followed on all holiday weekends: police setting up DUI checkpoints.

So before you out for St. Patty’s Day, make sure to read: Georgia Drivers, Know Your Rights! Knowing your rights and making the right moves can decrease the chances of you being falsely arrested.

If you are arrested for a DUI remember there are critical steps that you need to take right away to increase your chance at a successful defense.  If you are arrested for a DUI in the Atlanta area, please call 1-855-9-ATL-DUI to find out about how to protect your rights.

He who represents himself has a fool for a client
-Abraham Lincoln

Many people choose to represent themselves in criminal and DUI cases.  It is their constitutional right.  But that doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

Lawyers, doctors, mechanics, electricians- all specialists have years of education, training and experience that cannot be replaced by reading a couple articles online or in  a library. When it is your very freedom and liberty that is at stake, you can see how risky this can be.

Unfortunately, many people do not realize this until they have messed up their case beyond repair and it ends up looking something like this:

DUI drugs charges are steadily rising around the Atlanta area. DUI drug  (DUID) laws prohibit drivers from driving under the influence of  a wide range of illicit substances including marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and meth as well as legal substances such as prescription drugs.

The Problem with DUI Drug Laws

The problem with DUI drugs laws is that they cover so many different substances, each of which has a different impact upon the body.  The current 12-step DRE process that is in use to evaluate drivers for the influence of drugs is not completely scientifically proven, and thus may lead to erroneous results.  The crime labs also face challenges in testing for these substances because there are many new synthetic drugs which have not been thoroughly studied, including but not limited to K2.

This is why it is highly recommended to consult with an attorney who has credentials in forensic testing and understands the science behind how these tests work.

Georgia DUI Drug Laws

Below is a summary of the DUI drug laws in Georgia

As you can see, the penalties for a drug related DUI are very stringent and it is in your best interests to consult a qualified and experience DUI and drug attorney.

Attorney Doug Chanco is a former Fulton County Prosecutor who has extensive experience defending DUI and drug related cases. Call 1-855-9-ATL-DUI for a free consultation.

DUI is one of the most politically charged criminal offenses in the country.  In Atlanta you often hear about Braves or Falcons players who have been arrested for DUI.  The fact of the matter is, anyone including regular folks like you an me can be arrested for a DUI.  In my years of defending DUI cases in Atlanta and prosecuting them for the Fulton County Solicitor General office, I have noticed that most DUI offenders have never had a criminal offense prior to this.  Often times, it really is a matter of a simple bad judgment call.

The penalties for a DUI are extremely high.  This is why defense attorneys like myself ask- Should a person have to suffer such serious punishments for a single bad decision?

Should someone:

• Go to jail?
• Suffer a lengthy license suspension?
• Pay thousands in fines?
• And in some cases lose their jobs?

Take for example the case of Robert Christopher Matt, a Gwinnett sheriff’s Deputy, who recently resigned after he was arrested for DUI.  We can argue that “he should have known better” but we should also ask  ourselves are these severe penalties productive or counter-productive?

Police in Atlanta are gearing up for their DUI enforcement campaign “Operation Zero Tolerance: Over the Limit, Under Arrest” focusing on this week’s Independence Day activities.

You can be certain that there will be a number of DUI checkpoint set up across the city and thousands of drivers will have to pass through them. When police are focused on making DUI arrests, it puts a huge amount of pressure on them to make arrests to justify the costs behind the DUI checkpoint.  This results in a number of false arrests.

Under Georgia DUI laws, you will face jail time and a year-long license suspension even for a first offense.  This is why it is important for you to contact a qualified Atlanta DUI attorney immediatley.

In addition to DUI arrests, many people are arrested at DUI checkpoints for criminal offenses such as drug offenses, probation violations and for outstanding warrants.

If you are arrested for a DUI or for another criminal offense at an Atlanta DUI checkpoint, call Attorney Doug Chanco at 1-855-9-ATL-DUI.

There are a lot of DUI attorneys in Atlanta.  There are some really good professional attorneys who really know how to defend your rights.  There are also a number of DUI lawyers who don’t go the extra mile and thus their clients end up with inferior results.

You have the right to a trial- so use it! Find an Atlanta DUI Attorney who takes DUI cases to trial.

One of the main problems is that most people who I have met who are facing a DUI have very little experience with the legal system and how things work.  Many of them end up choosing the wrong attorney and by the time they realize it- it’s too late.

As a former Fulton County Prosecutor who worked on numerous DUI cases I have a unique perspective with experience from both sides of the law.  Based on that experience, I would like to offer a simple piece of advice:

If you are searching for a DUI attorney, choose one who plans on taking your case to trial

Many lawyers opt to take quick plea deals without really getting down and dirty with the case.  Taking a case through the trial process allows a professional attorney to thoroughly review the evidence against you and challenge its validity.  Many DUI cases get dismissed during the preliminary hearings.  Also the threat of going to trial often pushes prosecutors to offer a better deal than what was available at the onset.  A professional DUI attorney can guide you and tell you when a deal is the right deal.

So please keep this tip in mind.  When looking for a DUI attorney in Atlanta, choose one who takes cases to trial and who has the guts and the experience to fight for you.

Atlanta is really an exciting place during the summer.  There is so much to do and enjoy in this vibrant city.  For many of us our summer starts with the Memorial Day long weekend.  While the vast majority of us act responsibly, the actions of a few people give police the excuse to treat us all like criminals by setting up DUI checkpoints all over Atlanta.

Watch out for DUI checkpoints in Atlanta this Memorial Day Weekend.

DUI checkpoints are driven by political and financial motive- not by public safety concerns.  Politically, these highly visible checkpoints make the police brass look like they are fighting DUI.  Financially, the tickets and arrests help the police and city budgets.  The overwhelming majority of these arrests are not even for DUI!

As I citizen of Atlanta, I personally do not condone this unwarranted intrusion.  That is why we will be posting DUI checkpoint alerts for Atlanta this Memorial Day weekend.

We encourage you to share this post with your friends. You can follow our Atlanta DUI Checkpoint Feed for the latest updates.

If you would like to share information about a checkpoint, please use the comments section below.

To learn how to protect yourself against a DUI arrest please read: Georgia Drivers, Know Your Rights!