There are three important things to know if you’re a driver and are pulled over by police for a traffic violation or for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated.
- Remain calm and be polite with the officers on the scene.
- Don’t answer any questions that you aren’t legally required to answer such as “Where are you going?” type questions.
- If you show anger for any reason, you may be assumed guilty or lose favor with the judge and jury in the event a trial is required in your case and the details of the case are scrutinized in open court.
Drivers Rights in Texas
In the event you’re ever stopped by a law enforcement agency in Texas, Houston, League City, Or Galveston, you have at bare minimum, all the rights specified in the following list.
- You have the right to not answer any questions related to your destination or origination point.
- You don’t have to answer questions related to whether or not you’ve consumed any alcoholic beverages. One wrong answer about the number of drinks you’ve had and you could be facing arrest for DWI.
- Refusing to answer any questions related to any medical condition you may have is also your right as an American.
- You have the right to refuse a search of your vehicle, and the right to refuse field sobriety testing.
- You may refuse to empty your pockets, interface with a Breathalyzer, or unlock any of your property.
There are a few things that you must do if asked by a Houston, Galveston, or League City, TX area police agency’s officer. If a law enforcement officer asks you for your name, current address, vehicle registration, proof of insurance, or drivers license, you must comply by law and provide the information being requested by law enforcement.
Use Your Head During DWI & Other Stops
When lawfully refusing to cooperate with the police goes south, its usually because of a bad attitude or a condescending nature towards the officers on the scene on part of the detainee. Don’t act belligerent with police as it will make matters worse. Think police brutality.
Whether legal or illegal, any police response to a citizen with a bad attitude is guaranteed to turn out bad for the alleged offender. This is usually the root of evidence planting, false arrests, arrests for disorderly conduct, and in the worst of case, the implementation of police brutality.
Police are people too, and they make mistakes quite often. The last thing you need is to become a victim of edging on a loose-canon type of officer. While we respect police and know that most of them are upstanding citizens in their own right, there are other cops out there with no morality who wouldn’t think twice about slamming your head into their vehicle on “accident”.
If you’re ever arrested for a criminal offense involving murder, drugs, vehicular manslaughter, Driving While Intoxicated, DWI or DUI, contact a lawyer with an impressive resume or ask around to see if anyone you know may know of one who can represent you in the court of law.