Your Los Angeles DUI from a Police Officer’s Perspective

As you’ve been contemplating your recent arrest for DUI in Los Angeles, you’ve probably been focusing on your own emotions and situation.

Perhaps an officer pulled you over on Wilshire “unfairly,” after he noticed that one of your taillights was out. Or perhaps you caused a minor accident on La Brea and then failed field sobriety tests and blew a 0.09% BAC on a breathalyzer test. Almost certainly, you’ve been preoccupied with concerns about what’s going to happen to you, your family, your driver’s license, your freedom, your career, your relationships, etc.

Such a preoccupation is totally understandable. Punishments for even a relatively trivial DUI conviction — one involving no injuries or property damage or additional charges or previous criminal history – can include:

•    Substantial time behind bars;
•    Mandatory installation of a device called an IID, which makes it impossible for you to drive your car unless you blow a sober breath into a machine;
•    Tough probation terms;
•    Fines, court fees and attorneys fees;
•    A lengthy suspension of your California drivers’ license.

In your rush to contemplate your defense, you probably haven’t thinking about the motivation of the people on the other side of your case — law enforcement agents, judges and prosecutors.

Why should you bother considering your case from their point of view?

The ancient strategy manual, Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” explained the following idea, a concept that’s as elegant today as it likely was 3,000 years ago:

•    If you don’t know yourself, and you don’t know the enemy, you are doomed to lose every battle;
•    If you know yourself, but you do not know the enemy, you will win one battle for every battle you lose;
•    If you know yourself AND you know the enemy superlatively well, you will win every battle.

You need to appreciate the motives and strategies of prosecutors and law enforcement. What do your prosecutors want? What does the judge want? What do other stakeholders in the situation want? You must answer these questions to construct a great defense.

That may sound like an intimating proposition. Fortunately, you do need to do this intelligence work on your own. Michael Kraut, an experienced former prosecutor — who worked for nearly a decade and half as a Senior Deputy District Attorney — can help you prepare and execute your Los Angeles DUI defense. Find out more about Mr. Kraut and his philosophy online, or call or email to schedule a free consultation.

Call attorney Michael Kraut at (323) 464-6453 for help if you’ve been stopped for DUI in Los Angeles. Or Contact our team online. We’re located at 6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1520, Los Angeles, California 90028.