Apprehending and Prosecuting the Drunk Driver: A Manual for Police and Prosecution

Apprehending and Prosecuting the Drunk Driver is a one-volume treatise offering the legal, technical, and practical information law enforcement officers and prosecutors need to ensure the effectiveness of each drunk driving stop, search, arrest, and prosecution.

Topics include:

•   recognizing drunk driving characteristics of a vehicle in motion

•   evaluating sensory clues of alcohol and drug impairment during face-to-face encounters

•   administering field sobriety tests and preliminary breath tests

•   deciding if probable cause for arrest exists

•   determining if "fresh pursuit" is warranted

•   reading Miranda rights and implied consent warnings

•   administering chemical tests after arrest

•   labeling and preserving test samples; and

•   videotaping suspects.

Extensive scientific material is included on the effects of alcohol on the body, the chemical testing methods and devices used to determine alcohol concentration, breath alcohol ignition interlock devices, and alcohol monitoring. Trial and pretrial considerations in a drunk driving prosecution are addressed. Driving under the influence of drugs, vehicular homicide involving the intoxicated driver, and police civil liability are also discussed. The procedures set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for detecting drunk drivers and recognizing drivers who are under the influence of drugs are reprinted and analyzed. Coverage is national in scope. Included is a pocket-sized manual, Apprehending the Drunk Driver: Police Officer's Handbook, which also may be purchased separately. This handbook contains concise, easy to read guidelines an officer can refer to in the field when making the determination whether to stop and arrest a drunk driving suspect.