Your attorney may also tell the court about your family and friends in an attempt to convince the judge that they can act as an incentive to show up for trial. Your attorney can argue that defendants with strong personal connections and familial and personal responsibilities are more likely to return to court because their loved ones are harmed if they do not. If you are responsible for your family’s rent or mortgage, for example, you cannot flee or your family would become homeless. If your family is willing to post bail, your attorney can tell the judge that they are willing to stake their livelihood on your behavior.

The difficulty of bailing out defendants is proportional to the seriousness of the charges levied against them. It may be challenging, even for an experienced attorney, to get a defendant with extremely serious charges out on bail. To leverage a realistic bail, your attorney must use any mitigating factors regarding your arrest, such inadmissible evidence used by the arresting officers.

If you have criminal charges, you may need the expertise of Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla. Call today for a free initial consultation.

The one-leg stand test requires the suspect to stand on one leg while the other leg is extended in front in a stiff-leg manner about six inches above the ground. The suspect is instructed to keep his gaze on the elevated foot and count aloud in thousands for a period of time until told to stop.

The typical procedure for administering the test is as follows: Instruct the suspect to stand with both feet together and arms down and to maintain the position while instructions are given. Make clear that they are not to begin the test until you explicitly say “begin,” and ask if they understand this. Instruct the suspect to raise their leg in a stiff-leg manner about six inches off the ground and parallel to the ground. (The officer might demonstrate this stance.) Instruct the suspect to keep his arms at his sides and keep looking directly at the raised foot while counting in thousands (“one thousand one, one thousand two, etc.”). Ask if the suspect understands, then say “begin.”

The officer must administer the test for at least thirty seconds, regardless of how quickly the suspect is counting.

If you have further questions about field sobriety tests, contact dedicated and experienced Sacramento DUI attorney Param Pabla today to schedule a free initial consultation.

A warrantless search presents a significant threat to your case, as unlike a drug test, it can reveal items that are either contraband (such as pornography) or legal items that could imply other criminal activity (such as a gun). A search will also have a significant impact on your life: your family’s daily routine will be disrupted, and you may be embarassed in front of your neighbors who see the search. For these reasons, your Sacramento criminal defense attorney will try to secure your release without having to acquiesce to a search demand.

Depending on the nature of the crimes that you have been charged with, the court might also demand that you undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The ostensible purpose of this evaluation is to make sure that you are not a danger to the public. Such a release requirement is usually not used unless you have been charged with a violent crime (homicide, arson, etc.). In this case, there is often little that your attorney will be able to do. You must wait for the evaluation to be completed before you will be released.

Experienced Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla will be able to protect you from any bail requirements that can be prevented and will make sure that your rights are not violated. Call today for a free initial consultation.

At least one group of scientists has said that there is no study that links the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to driving impairment. In addition, neither the U.S. Department of Transportation nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that the use of standardized field sobriety tests provides actual direct indicators of driving impairment. On the contrary, they specifically state that operating a motor vehicle is complex and involves many tasks and operations, and it is unlikely that complex human performance of this kind can be accurately measured at roadside.

One study even said, “Even valid behavioral tests are likely to be poor predictors of actual behind-the-wheel driving.”

Some police agencies agree that some of the standardized field sobriety tests are not reliably accurate ways to measure driving impairment, especially in the case of the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. The California Highway Patrol considers the horizontal gaze nystagmus test to not be a psychophysical test and that the indicators associated with this test are not considered accurate signs of impairment.

If you have further questions about the validity of field sobriety tests, contact Sacramento DUI defense attorney Param Pabla for a free initial consultation.

One common sign used by police officers is the odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath. This is usually the first clue the officer relies upon to determine that a driver has been drinking and provide justification under the law to begin a DUI investigation. However, even this simple test is not always accurate. In one study on the ability to detect alcohol by odor, twenty police officers were asked to detect alcohol from subjects of varying degrees of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC). The officers were unable to identify the beverage type by smell alone, and their estimates as to the strength of the odor did not correspond go BAC levels.

Another common sign invoked is red or watery or glassy eyes. However, these might not be due to alcohol use at all; they can also manifest due to conditions such as wind irritation, fatigue, or emotional state. There is no correlation between red or watery eyes and BAC.

If you have further questions about the signs of alcohol intoxication, contact dedicated Sacramento DUI attorney Param Pabla today. The initial consultation is free of charge.

As such, an attorney must be very careful as to what he chooses to say in the opening statement. Part of the reason that the opening statement is so important is that it makes promises to the jury as to what the evidence will prove. If either the defense attorney or the prosecution fails to deliver on these expectations, the jury may ignore the other strengths of the case.  For example, if an attorney says that he will present an alternative explanation for the evidence in his opening statement, yet builds a solid case solely around undermining the prosecution, the jurors will find his case unconvincing.

Simply put, a good opening statement is straightforward. The attorney can either present an alternative to the prosecution’s version of the events or simply focus on the flaws in the prosecution’s case. But in either case, the opening statement must be extremely well thought-out and follow the attorney’s case extremely closely.

There is an art to a strong opening statement. If you have been charged with a misdemeanor in the Sacramento area, it is just one of the advantages that an experienced Sacramento misdemeanor criminal attorney can bring. Call Sacramento misdemeanor criminal attorney Param Pabla today for a free initial consultation.

The constitutionality of a DUI depends on two key factors: (1) the justification for your traffic stop at the roadblock and (2) the justification for the roadblock itself.

The first part of this determination is easy: your attorney must determine if the arresting officer is able to offer a justification for stopping your vehicle other than your mere presence at the roadblock site, e.g., equipment violations (which are observable problems with your car, license plate, or cargo). If there was another, legitimate reason for pulling you over, the constitutionality of the roadblock itself does not matter.

However, if the roadblock was indeed the sole justification behind pulling you over, your Sacramento DUI defense attorney may be able to have your charges thrown out by proving the roadblock to be unconstitutional. Roadblocks are unconstitutional when the sole reason behind their execution is to issue tickets. If your attorney can lead the police officer who ordered the roadblock to admit this, then your charges may be thrown out.

Only an experienced Sacramento DUI attorney will be familiar with these tactics. Call Param Pabla today for a free initial consultation.

If it is an option, your attorney will likely pursue an unsecured bail, or a release on your “own recognizance” (an OR bond release). These bails typically require no deposit save for your signature. There may be a nominal amount tied to the bond, but you do not have to pay it unless you fail to show up in court. This type of bail is typically only available to individuals whom the court has determined not to be a threat.

Even though such a bail would only require a signature as collateral, there are still consequences if you fail to show up in court. Failure to show up in court is a crime, and you are unlikely to be released on bail for it. Even if you are not charged for a separate offense, your failure to appear in trial will be factored into your charges. Either way, it would warrant twenty-five years of extra jail time, as well as make your current charges much more difficult to fight.

Whatever the type of bail you receive, you need an experienced Sacramento criminal defense attorney to give yourself the best chance of fighting your criminal charges. Call Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla today for a free initial consultation.

One such case involved an anonymous tip which contained information regarding which hotel an alleged drug runner was staying at, which vehicle he would be using to conduct his illegal activities, and which direction he would be travelling. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled that arresting officer could legally use the tip to arrest the defendant.

Contrast this with another case in which the tipster claimed a man possessed a weapon and gave nothing more than a description and a general location.  The Supreme Court ruled that the arresting officer in this case acted improperly when arresting the defendant.

These cases show that in order for an anonymous tip to be valid, it must be detailed and specific enough to refer only to suspect in question; in addition, it must display some verifiable knowledge of the alleged crime.

Depending on the circumstances, an experienced Sacramento DUI defense attorney might be able to apply these principles to your case. Make sure you have an attorney who is flexible, as well as experienced. Call dedicated Sacramento DUI defense attorney Param Pabla today for a free consultation.

Perhaps the best example for this is jury selection. During jury selection, which is also known as voir dire, your attorney will interview potential jurors in an attempt to screen out those who might be unfairly biased against you.

Voir dire is an art. Your attorney must ask potential jurors a series of questions regarding their background and their personal beliefs without coming across as invasive. Because people are often unaware of their own biases, your attorney must ask questions designed to indirectly reveal these biases. It requires your attorney to ask questions that are open ended enough so that potential jurors have a chance to articulate their opinions and the reasons behind them; yet, the questions must be specific enough that the potential jurors aren’t left wondering why the question is even relevant.

All of this is necessary because biased jurors can put innocent people in jail. Biases often lead otherwise rational people to ignore solid arguments that conflict with their beliefs. It’s easy to see how this could compromise a misdemeanor trial.

If you have been charged with a misdemeanor in the Sacramento area, you will need a dedicated Sacramento misdemeanor criminal attorney who will advocate for you during all steps of your trial. Make sure you have the right attorney on your side. Call  Sacramento misdemeanor criminal attorney Param Pabla today for a free initial consultation.