Criminal defense: Police task force makes DUI arrests

Many people across the country celebrated the recent Fourth of July holiday weekend. It is a time for families to get together, and these kinds of events often include consumption of alcohol. Local law enforcement was on alert for people driving under the influence. In one Georgia community, police specifically targeted drunk drivers, making numerous arrests. Those drivers may need a strong criminal defense to minimize the potential impact of an arrest on their lives.

The special police unit operated from the Wednesday evening before the fourth and throughout the entire weekend until Sunday morning. Twenty-five officers were tasked with watching for signs of impaired driving. They made 54 arrests for DUI over the course of the holiday weekend. They also gave out over 700 citations and started 17 drug cases in addition to making 92 overall arrests for various crimes.

Representatives for the police said that 24 people died across the entire state during the holiday weekend, but none of those deaths occurred in the county where the task force operated. One lieutenant said that he believes the efforts of the unit were at least one of the reasons the county saw no fatalities. It is unclear whether the officers had DUI checkpoints or were pulling over drivers in order to make these arrests.

When a person gets arrested for a DUI in Georgia, it can have a serious impact on multiple areas of his or her life. First, there are the significant punishments for a conviction, such as jail time, fines or a suspended license. An arrest and conviction can also make it difficult for a person to obtain employment or apply for a loan, not to mention the damage to the person’s reputation. For this reason, it is imperative that anyone arrested for DUI speaks with an experienced criminal defense attorney. It may be that person’s best chance at securing a favorable outcome.