The next step after you have hired a lawyer is to obtain all the evidence concerning your case. As soon as you leave our office, we make a request for several items. There is a laundry list that we request and that every DUI attorney should request depending on the circumstances:
All Cases:
The Police Reports
The Video
Supplemental Reports by witnesses and other officers
Photographs
Breath Test Case:
Video of the Breath test room if conducted in the room
Breath Test Result
Intoxilyzer Maintenance Records
Intoxilyzer Certificates of Calibration
Officer’s Intoxilyzer Certification Records
Jail Booking video
Blood Test Case:
Video of Blood draw
Blood Drawer Certification
Chain of Custody documentation
Equipment used to draw blood
Gas Chromatograph documentation
Blood Test Results
Maintenance logs
Toxicology litigation packet
These are just some of the items we request as the circumstances dictate. Sometimes, if there is no video, we contact local merchants to see if they have video cameras depicting the arrest and field sobriety tests. In certain cases, this has been very effective in exonerating innocent people. When we request these items, we provide a copy of everything we get to the client. The client’s file will match our file. We find it effective to give a copy of everything to the client so that they can assist us with ideas and facts on the case. Just because a police officer put it in a report, doesn’t mean it happened that way. Clients have been very helpful in shedding light on “the rest of the story”. Such as, “the officer didn’t put in the report that I was wearing 6 inch high heels to do the Walk and Turn test.” Or “it was 5 degrees outside and I didn’t have a coat.” We want our client’s involved with the case and work together to find the best possible outcome.
