According to the 2015 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information System the number of DUI arrests per year has been dropping steadily every year since 2008. In fact, the DUI arrest rate has dropped by about 28% in those six years. What hasn’t improved as dramatically are the odds of avoiding a conviction if you are arrested for a DUI. Approximately three-quarters of DUI arrests end in a conviction. Not all of those people deserve their sentences.

Most California drivers don’t have a clear understanding of their rights when it comes to DUI arrests. I would imagine that even fewer understand the procedures that police and prosecutors are required to follow. Those procedures have been hammered out over time as a result of DUI defense attorneys working to eliminate convictions from bad evidence and sloppy police work. Those procedures are there to protect you and your rights. The best way to exercise your rights in court is with a skilled DUI defense attorney at your side.

A News10 story from a few years ago shows how a Sollitt Law client beat a false DUI charge. Arresting officer Brandon Mullock had written on his police report that our client had thick and slow speech. Our own Mark Sollitt reviewed the traffic stop video recording and found that the client spoke clearly and normally the entire time. The discrepancy, one detail among many in the police report, was enough to call his honesty into question. Not only had Mullock been ignoring proper procedure, he had been falsifying reports as well. That revelation opened the gates to review an additional 144 cases. 79 of those were dropped entirely.

Without a skilled defense attorney, those 79 people would have had their lives turned upside-down. It isn’t just knowledge of the laws that makes an attorney great. Understanding the people involved in the legal system is critical. You can’t get that understanding from advice online. You don’t get personal knowledge of judges, prosecutors, and officers from attorneys who drive in from Oakland once a month. Please consider calling us first when you need help in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, Placer, or El Dorado. With 20 years of personal, hands-on experience, Mark Sollitt knows how to give you the defense you deserve.