The Washington State Patrol (“WSP”) is reinitiating an old tactic for finding drunk drivers – aerial patrols; they are going high-tech to catch law-breaking drivers both night and day. Using a stabilized aerial video camera with thermal imaging, Washington State troopers videotape vehicles traveling on our Washington roadways.
The WSP began routinely using specially equipped airplanes to assist with DUI and other traffic related enforcement in 2008. The program is called “DART”, or DUI Aerial Response Team. DART uses “forward-looking infrared-equipped” (“FLIR”) airplanes to find and coordinate apprehension of impaired and reckless drivers, according to the State Patrol. The program involves residents armed with cellular phones, State Patrol air crews, troopers and communication officers. The relatively new technology makes Washington State a particularly tough place to drink and drive. The goal of the DART program is to prevent, or otherwise reduce, accidents and fatalities on our Washington roadways; the bottom line is public safety. So beware, as the summer party season takes off, troopers will be in the sky, as well as on the ground, in an effort to keep the roads safe. The DUI crackdown from the skies is scheduled to start over the Memorial Day weekend.
Getting a DUI has never been more serious. Now more than ever it is imperative that a person charged with DUI in Washington State retain a qualified Seattle DUI attorney or a qualified Bellevue DUI lawyer in order to best minimize potential legal consequences and protect their rights and interests. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified Seattle DUI lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those charged with DUI in Western Washington. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the DUI allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible.
If you or a loved one is cited for, or charged with, DUI in King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, Kitsap County, Thurston County or one of the following cities or towns: Algona, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bonney Lake, Bothell, Burien, Des Moines, Duvall, Edmonds, Enumclaw, Everett, Federal Way, fife, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Medina, Mercer Island, Milton, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, New Castle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Olympia, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Sea Tac, Seattle, Shoreline, Snohomish, Sumner, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, and/or Woodinville, or any other city or town in Western Washington, call The Criminal Defense Team of SQ Attorneys at (206) 441-0900 for an initial free consultation.
