Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
Become familiar with:
• Elements
of DWI offenses
• Provisions
of the implied consent law
• The
relevance of chemical test evidence
• Precedents
established through case law
Learning Objectives
3-2
At
the conclusion of this session, participants will be familiar with:
•
Elements of DWI offenses
•
Provisions of the implied consent law
•
The relevance of chemical test evidence
•
Precedents established through case law
In
this session these four types of impaired driving laws are discussed in detail.
The
illustrations
provided are drawn from the Uniform Vehicle Code. You are responsible for
learning
whether and how each law applies in your jurisdiction.
CONTENT
SEGMENTS LEARNING ACTIVITIES
A.
Basic DWI Statute: Driving While Instructor Led Presentations
Under
the Influence
B.
Illegal Per Se Statute: Driving With a
Prohibited
Blood Alcohol Concentration
C.
Implied Consent Law and Presumptions Reading Assignments
D.
Preliminary Breath Testing
E.
Case Law Review
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178 R5/13 3 of 29
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
It is unlawful for any person to operate or
be in actual physical control of any vehicle
within this state while under the influence
of alcohol and/or any drug.
Basic DWI Statute
3-3
3-3
A. Basic DWI Statute: Driving While Under the Influence
A
state's basic DWI statute may be subtitled Driving While Under the Influence,
or
something
similar. Typically the statute describes the who, what, where and how of the
offense
in language.
For
example:
It
is unlawful for any person to operate or be in actual physical control of any
vehicle
within
this state while under the influence of alcohol and/or any drug.
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
Probable Cause
Person in question operating or in actual
physical control of vehicle while under the
influence:
• Alcohol
• Another
drug
• Both
DWI Violation Arrest
3-4
3-4
Arrest
In
order to arrest someone for a basic DWI violation, a law enforcement officer
must
have
probable cause to believe that all elements of the offense are present. That
is, the
officer
must believe that:
The
person in question was operating or in actual physical control of a vehicle
(truck,
van,
automobile, motorcycle, even bicycle, according to specific provisions in
various
states)
while under the influence of alcohol, another drug, or both.
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178 R5/13 4 of 29
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
• Establish
all four elements were present
• Operation
• Control
• Vehicle
• Impairment
• Criminal
offense – establish facts
“beyond a reasonable doubt”
• Infraction
– standard of proof may be
less
• Collect
and document all evidence
Conviction
5-5
3-5
Conviction
In
order to convict a person of DWI, it is necessary to establish that all four
elements
were
present.
•
Operation
•
Control
•
Vehicle
•
Impairment
With
regard to under the influence, courts have usually held that phrase to mean
that
the
ability to operate a vehicle has been affected or impaired. To convict a person
of a
basic
DWI violation, it is usually necessary to show that the person's capability of
safely
operating
the vehicle has been impaired. If DWI is a criminal offense, the facts must be
established
"beyond a reasonable doubt." If DWI is an infraction, the standard of
proof
may
be less. In either case, it is the officer's responsibility to collect and
thoroughly
document
all evidence.
Notes:_______________________________________________
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178 R5/13 5 of 29
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
It is unlawful for any person to:
• Operate
or be in actual physical control
• Of
any vehicle
• Within
this state
• While
having a BAC at or above the state’s
level
Illegal Per Se Statute
3-6
3-6
B. Illegal Per Se Statute: Driving with a Prohibited Blood Alcohol
Concentration
Description
Most
states include in their DWI law or implied consent law a provision making it
illegal
to
drive with a prescribed blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This provision,
often
called
an illegal per se law, creates another alcohol-related driving offense which is
related
to, but different from the basic DWI offense. Following is a typical illegal per
se
provision:
It
is unlawful for any person to:
•
Operate or be in actual physical control
•
Of any vehicle
•
Within this state
•
While having a blood alcohol concentration at or above state’s level.
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
• Establish
BAC was at or above state level
while operating vehicle in state
• Not
necessary to establish impairment
To Convict Illegal Per Se
3-7
3-7
The
illegal per se law makes it an offense in and of itself to drive while having a
BAC at
or
above state’s level. To convict a driver of an illegal per se violation, it is
sufficient to
establish
that their BAC was at or above state’s level while operating a vehicle in the
state.
It is not necessary to establish impairment.
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178 R5/13 6 of 29
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
Each defines a separate offense:
• DWI
– driving while under influence
• Chemical
test is presumptive evidence
• Illegal
Per Se – operate while having more
than legal % of alcohol in blood or breath
• Chemical
test is conclusive evidence
Illegal Per Se and DWI
3-8
3-8
The
illegal per se law does not replace the basic DWI law. Rather, the two work
together.
Each defines a separate offense:
•
The basic DWI law makes it an offense to drive while under the influence of
alcohol
and/or
any drug.
•
The illegal per se law makes it an offense to drive while having more than a
certain
percentage
of alcohol in the blood or breath.
For
the basic DWI offense, the chemical test result is presumptive evidence. For the
illegal
per se offense, the chemical test result is conclusive evidence.
Session 3 – The Legal Environment
DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
• Aid
in prosecution of DWI offenders
• Show
the driver’s BAC was at or above state
level
• Often
required to secure conviction
Illegal Per Se Purpose
3-9
3-9
Illegal Per Se Purpose
The
principal purpose of the illegal per se law is to aid in prosecution of DWI
offenders.
It
is not necessary for the prosecutor to show that the driver was "under the
influence."
The
state is not required to demonstrate that the driver's ability to drive was
affected. It
is
sufficient for the state to show that the driver's BAC was at or above the
state’s level.
While
the statute aids in prosecution, it does not really make DWI enforcement
easier.
An
officer must still have probable cause to believe that the driver is impaired
before
making
an arrest. The implied consent law usually requires that the driver be arrested
before
the request of a chemical test. The law also requires that the arrest be made
for
"acts
alleged to have been committed while operating a vehicle while under the
influence."
Therefore, the officer usually must establish probable cause that the offense
has
been committed and make a valid arrest before the chemical test can be
requested.
Notes:_______________________________________________
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Source: DWI Detection and
Standardized Field
Sobriety TestingHS
178 R5/13 7 of 29
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