As a Eugene Criminal Defense Attorney specializing in DUI cases I am always looking for ways to improve my knowledge and skills. What better way to get the inside scoop on DUI enforcement in Eugene than to do a ride along with the 2012 statewide DUI officer of the year Ryan Stone?
The experience was insightful and has given me a richer understanding of DUI enforcement patrol. I look forward to bringing the insights gained into my law practice in order to provide clients with the best possible defense for their DUI case.
The following is my account of eight hours spent with Officer Stone on a Friday night in January of 2014 looking for drunk and drugged drivers.
18:30 – I arrive at the Eugene Police Department (EPD) headquarters on Country Club Road ready for action and adventure. I sign a liability waiver and pass the background check but I’m not sure what to expect. Officer Stone greets me in the lobby dressed in uniform and displaying a badge. We are familiar with each other from past courtroom and DMV hearings but tonight we’re on his turf.
I hop into the Chevy Caprice DUI enforcement car and we are one our way. The Caprice is fairly stealth for a police car, with no front or rear markings, no overhead light-bar, and really just a large push bumper and yellow plates to give it away. Most cops have a certain area of the city assigned, but I learn that Officer Stone has a city-wide territory. In other words, we have the whole city to play in tonight.
In the center console there are light & siren controls and a radio that is constantly monitoring Eugene Police Department, Springfield Police Department and Oregon State Police radio chatter. Above the center console a laptop computer shows background data on any name or license plate entered and also has a GPS map showing the location of patrol cars & incidents in real time. On the driver’s side dash there is a front and rear full time active cone radar. There is a handheld laser radar in the backseat along with a shotgun, AR-15 and other equipment. There is a “less-lethal” riot type gun in the trunk. Officer Stone is personally armed with a handgun, taser, knife, pepper spray and retractable baton. The seat behind me is a plexi-glass caged area reserved for tonight’s custodies.
18:32 – we’re immediately confronted with a stalled vehicle on I-105. He didn’t show signs of impairment and was escorted off the freeway.
18:48 – we start driving around town, listening to radio chatter, viewing info on the laptop, and looking into vehicles as we pass. Officer Stone drives in a state of heightened awareness alert to any traffic infractions, unusual driving, and the interior of vehicles as he passes.
19:03 –A car is stopped for running a red light on Franklin. Everything checks out and the driver is issued a citation.
19:12 – A vehicle is traveling with no lights down Hillyard. Pulled over and given a warning.
19:38 –Near West 11th and Chambers another car gets the blue and red lights for failing to maintain a lane. Citation issued.
19:56 – We park on beltline for a while using radar gun, no stops. Tap the overhead at a couple of drivers to remind them of the speed limit.
20:22 –SUV runs a red light coming out of Costco. After receiving a citation for failure to obey a traffic signal the SUV speeds away on Beltline Hwy. That vehicle is pulled over a second time and issued citations for failing to signal a lane change and speeding. Still no DUIs!
21:13 – Car speeding on NW Expressway gets pulled over. No signs of impairment, Speeding ticket issued.
21:48 – Stone heads into downtown for a more target rich environment. Several traffic stops are made for things such as no headlights, driving the wrong way on a one-way, speeding, frequent lane changes, weaving, drifting, talking on a cell phone, no seatbelt, and rolling through stop signs (aka California stops). Still no DUIs!
22:18 – Dispatched to a fight downtown with two other patrol cars. Officers resolve the situation.
23:12 – Stone gets the call he’s been waiting for – possible impaired driver has just crashed through a storage unit while leaving The Nile strip club on Hwy 99. Three people were in the vehicle, one fled on foot. Stone flips on the siren and races to The Nile. Things get intense as an Oregon State Trooper questions one occupant of the vehicle who is visibly upset and brandishing a realistic pellet-gun replica handgun at his waistline. The crew was denied entry into the club and apparently crashed their Explorer into the storage unit after losing control of the vehicle. He is eventually taken into custody and back to EPD HQ where he blew a 0.13%. He’s taken to Lane County jail and lodged on an unrelated warrant. Stone finds a bag of weed in his pocket at the jail and issues an additional citation for possession of less than one ounce.
01:18 – We visit the dispatch center and deliver the weed to the police evidence locker out near Conger Rd.
02:22 – It’s nearing the end of Officer Stone’s shift so we head back to EPD HQ so he can complete paperwork. From Washington Ave. We get onto I-105 and see a slow moving vehicle drift over the fog line. Looks like one more stop. Driver fails the Field Sobriety Tests and ends up blowing a 0.11%.
03:12 – It’s been a long night and Stone drops me back at my car at EPD HQ. Suddenly there’s knock at the window. “License & registration please.” Wait, am I dreaming? No, it is just Officer Stone messing with me because I forgot to return the EPD observer badge.
Totals for the night:
Traffic Stops – 12
Traffic Citations – 8+
DUIs – 2