Why can’t all community service be so easy. Volunteers of Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and Clover lined up to participate in training session for Rock Hill’s Police Department’s DUI team. Accordingly, the instructions for the volunteers was to drink until their Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) matched the numbers that the deputies used to train officers that are new to the field or force.
In fact, even some RHPD veterans took the training course to brush upon the DUI signs and detection methods of today. The officers selected BAC levels that they desired each participant to reach before they would be required to perform the routine field sobriety tests. Different volunteers were assigned different BAC levels to reach, ranging from a .05 to a .11. The legal limit in the state of South Carolina is .08 and anything below. Anything over that reading will allow the officer to c
harge you with a DUI.
The rules allowed each participant to bring their own liquor of choice, so long as it was 80 proof, or 40% alcohol. The training began at 8:30 a.m., and the first drink was served at 8:40 a.m. Moreover, each volunteer signed a waiver, agreeing to participate, whatever the outcome.
For the rest of the day, each volunteer was assigned a deputy, who escorted the person around until they “sobered up”, no matter how long it took.
When determining how quickly one will get drunk, two key factors are the person’s height and weight. the Master Deputy, who is head of the DUI detection training, says that DUIs have been and are remaining to be a huge problem in the county, state, and nation as a whole. So far this year, 85 DUIs have been given in York County alone.
Once the participant had reached the BAC level they were assigned, the Master Deputy preformed the horizontal gaze nystagmus, where they look for six indicators of intoxication. The “one-leg stand” and “walk-and-turn” were also administered.
The training, although enjoyable for the volunteers, was beneficial to all York County residents. This training allows officers to more readily detect when someone is over the legal limit. The benefit of officers receiving this training,however, outweighs the harm. With officers giving DUIs to intoxicated drivers, they are making the roads safer for you and your children.
However, there are times when even the dreaded “breathalyzer” maybe wrong. A machine is in fact, only a machine. Even the greatest of machines is bound to fail from time to time. If you, or a loved one has been involved in any sort of DUI accident, or has been charged with a DUI, please contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower. Our experienced litigators have represented parties on both sides of the courtroom; i.e., plaintiffs and defendants. Whichever category you fall in, please contact us today at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll free, and let us evaluate the severity of the situation for you.