SPECIAL REPORT:
Mistakes the police make... and how they can help you:

1. Stopping a vehicle solely on the basis of an anonymous call.
2. Following a driver into his residence without an invitation or without enough information to justify the entry. Your home is protected under the fourth amendment.
3. Detaining a driver longer than is reasonable to investigate. The constitution does not allow officers to hold you without limit.
4. Stopping a vehicle without a reasonable articuable suspicion. An officer can not stop you just because he thinks you are suspicious.
5. Stopping a vehicle because it stops in the middle of the street or it is driving too slow. It is not lawful for an officer to stop you, unless he has a reasonable suspicion that you have committed a crime.
6. Stopping a vehicle based on a misperceived violation of a law. The officer must be right about his interpretation of the law.
7. Stopping a vehicle for an improper sign. Street signs and lane markings must comply with the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
8. Failing to follow the rules of the Department of Transportation and Breath Test Operation Manual. These failures may invalidate any alcohol testing.
9. Stopping at an improper roadblock. There are guidelines that must be followed to validate the stop.
10. Stopping a vehicle just to check the driver's license and registration. There must be an actual traffic violation or a reasonable articuable suspicion of a crime.
11. Stopping a vehicle without being able to identify it as the one actually committing a traffic infraction. Officers must be able to convince the Court that they stopped the right car.
12. Stopping a vehicle for no reason at all. It's done. Officers usually do not show up in Court on these.
13. Blocking a vehicle's exit without justification. Officers may not restrict a drivers freedom to leave without a reason.
14. Botching the administration of the field sobriety tests. The are government standards for these tests, and the police often fail to follow these standards.
15. Failing to observe a subject for 20 minutes prior to the breath test. These can affect the reliability of the test result.
16. Failing to record the expiration date on the blood vials. This can affect the reliability of the test result.

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