Recent Articles

Being Suspected of Robbery Doesn’t Give Cops Right To Pat You Down.

In the case of In Re Jeremiah S. the First District of the California Appellate Court held that the police can’t just frisk you because they suspect you of committing robbery. The cops received a radio call that a woman had her purse and cell phone stolen. The radio call identified the suspects as young […]

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Breath Tests Are Inaccurate.

I have been saying this for years, as has anyone who works in the system. Now the NY Times has written an expose on the intrinsic problems, software and hardware, with breath testing machines. The full article is here.  The study was done in conjunction with the FX show The Weekly and was broadcast 11/3 […]

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Brenner and the DMV DUI Hearing. How to fight a DUI!

Brenner and the DMV DUI Hearing I often refer to the DMV DUI hearing (Department of Morons and Villains h/t Ed Kuwatch) as a “Kangaroo Court” because the DMV Hearings Officer, often a person with no legal training, acts as the prosecutor, judge and jury. The defense bar recently got a little help keeping client’s licenses […]

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But Officer I Only Had One Or Two Beers

I Only Had One Or Two Beers Is Usually the Wrong Answer. You invariably tell the arresting officer that  you had “one or two beers” when asked. This is a mistake for two reasons. First, if you are pulled over you are under no obligation to assist the police officer in building a case against […]

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CA Drivers License for Non Citizens Information

The California Legislature has ordered the DMV to provide licenses to people who reside in California, even if you don’t have proof of citizenship. The big picture is if you are a non-citizen, you can now get a driver’s license and avoid fees and convictions for driving without a license. Let’s take a closer look […]

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Can I Drop Domestic Violence Charges Once I’ve Made A Complaint?

No.  You cannot drop Domestic Violence charges once you’ve made a verbal or written complaint. The reason lies in the nature of criminal cases in that, unlike civil cases, it’s simply not your case.  Your part is solely as a witness.  The criminal case belongs to the prosecutor and only s/he can drop charges.  And […]

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CHP Officers Make Game of Stealing Photos

NBC News recently reported that CHP officers make game of stealing racy photos. CHP Officer Harrington of the Dublin area CHP was arrested recently for stealing photos from the cell phones of women he arrested. He would search an arrestee’s phone and then text the pictures to his friends – also members of the California Highway […]

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Court Fees after Conviction Have To Be Based On Ability To Pay

If you are convicted after a trial or plead guilty to a crime, in addition whatever other punishments are imposed the trial court has to impose certain fees. It is not a probation violation not to pay these fees. However, if they aren’t paid at the end of probation then a civil judgment is entered […]

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Court Rules Possession of Marijuana Not Probable Cause to Search Car

In the recently decided case of People v. Lee, the Appellate Court of San Diego County ruled that possession by a driver of a legal amount of marijuana doesn’t give the police the right to search the car for evidence of other crimes. Mr. Lee was pulled over when the cops noticed that his car […]

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Do My Prior DUIs Count

It depends on how long ago you were arrested, not convicted.  When figuring out the statute of limitations for priors it is calculated from the date of arrest to the date of arrest. In California, DUIs remain priorable for 10 years.  So if you were arrrested on November 21, 1999 and again on November 22, […]

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