Washington State Patrol police cars as well as some police cars in Tacoma and Pierce County can record video and audio during a DUI stop. This footage can be used by prosecutors as part of the discovery (evidence used against you). These videos are produced from cameras mounted to the front of the police vehicles and in some cases can be very valuable to your DUI defense.
DUI arrest video footage can be used to corroborate or contest the officer’s version of events that are documented in the police report. The audio portion can also help put statements made by a defendant in context with the larger event. If the officer exaggerated or includes false details, the video can seriously undermine the officer’s credibility as a witness. If there are even minor issues with the collaboration of the police report and video evidence, this can provide leverage for negotiations on your DUI criminal case, during your driver’s license suspension hearing, or at trial.
Cristine is a Tacoma, WA DUI lawyer who has found these videos to be very useful in a number of cases where the DUI arrest video footage did not mimic the stop as described in the police report. Video footage can help your DUI attorney find issues for suppression of evidence used against you and for information about whether the officer followed the required legal procedures (properly advising of rights, administering tests in the appropriate fashion, etc.). This evidence can be used to negotiate favorable outcomes such as a full DUI dismissal, a reduction to a lesser charge or infraction, reinstatement of driving privileges, or an acquittal at a jury trial.