Fresno was once ranked as the nation's "Drunkest city" after reviewing several stats, mostly based upon "DUI Arrests" per person in the county.
While Fresno may not be the Drunkest city in America, the Central California City is one of if not the toughest in the nation when it comes to enforcing DUI laws. Fresno Police Department has been featured at the national level for their innovative and proactive approach to enforcing DUI laws. The Central Valley California Highway Patrol Officers also take part in the enforcement of the DUI laws, often working with the Fresno Police Department, Motorcycle officers, Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Visalia Police Department, Kings County Sheriff's department, and numerous rural police departments including Mendota, Parlier, Reedley, Selma Police Department, Sanger Police Department among many others.
Due to the high frequency of DUI arrests in the Central Valley and greater Fresno County area, many people have wondered which DUI attorney is best. While the term itself implies an opinion, and many factors come into play, there is another question people ask themselves before deciding: "What qualifications should I look when choosing a DUI attorney?" These answers vary, but some factors that should be relevant are:
1. How much DUI Specific Education does the Attorney have?
2. If you gave a breath sample, does this lawyer understand breath testing?
3. If you gave a blood sample, does this lawyer understand the process of Gas Chromatography?
4 A.. If you performed Field Sobriety Tests, is this lawyer trained on how to perform Field Sobriety Tests?
4. B. Is this lawyer trained as an instructor by a NHTSA approved course on Standardized Field Sobriety Tests?
5. Does this lawyer understand the principles of performing a Forensic Analysis of the tested sample of a subjects Blood Alcohol Concentration performing a retrograde extrapolation of to try to better pinpoint the actual Blood Alcohol Content at the time of driving?
1. Jonathan attends numerous seminars, courses, training, and events greatly exceeding the vast majority of practicing DUI attorneys DUI specific Education each year. Jonathan is a member of the National College for DUI Defense, California DUI Lawyers association, and is in the process of completing the remaining courses through the American Chemical Society to achieve the "Lawyer Scientist" designation, which few people in the entire nation have achieved. Jonathan is also in the process of completing a Masters Degree in Forensic Toxicology, further separating Jonathan from other lawyers.
2. Breath machines have numerous factors that are used to capture, analyze, and estimate a blood alcohol content. Breath machines don't test blood, they test breath. Then, they estimate the actual amount of alcohol in your blood by applying a partition ration of 2100-1. The principle is that the amount of alcohol in an expired breath coming from the deep lungs, is 1/2100 of the amount in the blood. However to achieve this ratio, the machine makes, or is programmed to consider, several assumptions. Some of these are the temperature of the expired breath, hematacrit levels. true partition ration, absence of extrapolation errors, the machine is properly employed which also means that person is in the post absorption stage of absorption, distribution, metabolization, and elimination -- the four stages of alcohol for our purpose. Jonathan has a sollid understanding of these machines, and how to help you with your defense.
3. Jonathan is one of the few lawyers in the entire state who has attended The American Chemical Society's Forensic Chromatography course at Axion Laboratories in Chicago Illinois. Jonathan's hand on experience in a premiere Gas Chromatography laboratory has helped him understand this process, and the science behind blood testing for alcohol. There are many areas of blood testing that need to reviewed, including the chromatograms. Some areas of concern are fermentation, unidentified volatile substances, septum leakage, internal standards, methods and processes by which the machine is calibrated, forced zero, and force agreement of the calibration. If your lawyer can't explain the process to you, how is he/she going to explain it to a jury?
4. A. If you performed standardized field sobriety tests(SFST), then your lawyer better understand how to cross examine the officer on field sobriety tests. Does your lawyer understand the proper instruction? Does you lawyer understand how to score a Standardized Field Sobriety Test? Jonathan attended the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration certified course given by the premiere SFST instructor Mr. LaPier. Jonathan was so impressed he returned for the instructor course. Jonathan can explain the process, scoring, instructions, and validation models to you, and if needed, a jury in your defense. Most criminal defense attorneys "do DUI's" but few understand the process.
4. B. Jonathan has completed a NHTSA approved student and instructor course on SFST's. His level of understanding of the process, questions, clues, and validation exceed most other lawyers.
5. Having attended numerous seminars, many of which are concerned with forensic blood alcohol analysis, reading many articles on the subject, and in the process of working toward the Masters of Science in Forensic Toxicology, Jonathan has a level of understanding of the subject above and beyond that of other lawyers.
If you need a DUI attorney, Call Fresno DUI Attorney Jonathan for a free consultation appointment. Jonathan is a Fresno area Criminal Defense Attorney who devotes a tremendous amount of time and money to his DUI specific or enhancing education through seminars, college, and research.