Since we discuss it frequently, you may know that reasonable suspicion is the legal standard officers must meet to initiate a traffic stop. More than a hunch or gut feeling, the police need observable facts that suggest you might be driving while intoxicated.
When you know you did nothing to arouse suspicion and want to stand up for your rights, here are two places to look for supporting evidence.
GPS records as allies
Data obtained from GPS devices can provide a timestamped account of your movements, possibly raising doubt about the police report. Your GPS records may meticulously detail your driving behaviors to paint a contrasting picture of the officer’s version of events. Strong counter-evidence like this helps chip away at the stated justification for your DWI stop.
Video footage as verification
These days, cameras are everywhere – in hands, windows, traffic lights, homes and businesses. That means footage of the events leading up to the stop probably exist in cloud storage, on someone’s hard drive or even on film. Video recordings can verify your account of what led to your DWI stop and how it unfolded.
Why does it matter now?
So your traffic stop ended poorly and resulted in an arrest on DWI charges. What difference could the lack of reasonable suspicion make now?
You may be able to suppress the evidence obtained during the traffic stop if you can show that the police had no valid reason to pull you over. With experienced legal guidance, a proactive defense strategy like this can lead to a favorable outcome.
