Unlawful Police Stops in Texas
Our DWI Lawyer can Challenge Your Unlawful DUI Stop in Dallas
Texas law enforcement are required to have probable cause to stop a driver on suspicion of DWI. Otherwise a stop could be considered unlawful and a DWI arrest could be deemed illegitimate no matter what the officer may have discovered after stopping you. If you were arrested for DWI and feel your stop was illegal, speak with a Dallas criminal defense attorney right away to discuss your case and your rights with our firm.
Mathur Law Offices, P.C. has helped countless clients fight their DWI charges, many of them related to a police officer who stopped them without cause. We understand what is at stake when you are arrested for DWI—you cannot afford to take your charges lightly. Our criminal defense firm offers clients the vigorous and competent representation they need because we understand how much damage a DWI can do to a person's freedom and reputation.
When can law enforcement pull me over?
There are numerous reasons a police officer may suspect you have been drinking before you decided to drive. These can often be subjective "observations," however, and Mathur Law Offices, P.C. can challenge what the officer believes they saw.
Any of the following can give law enforcement probable cause to stop you:
- Speeding
- Swerving
- Disregarding traffic stop signs and signals
- Driving too slowly
Stopping a driver for any of these reasons is legitimate; however, they can still be challenged in court. If you happened to be swerving but remained in the same lane, for instance, this is not enough of a reason to stop you and would constitute an unlawful stop.
Keeping Police Officers Honest
Police are obligated to first observe some form of reckless driving on your part before being able to stop you. They need probable cause to believe you have committed an illegal act or will do so.
When police stop you at random or even on some suspicion you are drunk based on intuition or a hunch, this is not credible grounds for a stop. Neither can officers wait outside of a bar or nightclub and "cherry-pick" patrons as they leave.
Police officers need to obey the laws too— a Dallas DWI attorney from our firm can contest your stop if it was not done according to statute. If it can be proven that it was unlawful, your case could be dismissed and you would be set free.
Give our firm a call right away so we can get to work on fighting your DWI!