New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, I and my staff of experienced DWI lawyers make it our job to represent motorists who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription medications or other potentially intoxicating substances (such as cocaine or marijuana). This, however, does not mean that we do not understand the dangers associated with driving while intoxicated by alcohol, doctor-prescribed meds or even controlled dangerous substances (CDS).
Having worked in the past as a municipal prosecutor for many years, it was my job to obtain convictions against those drivers who had been arrested for DWI, drug DUI and breath-test refusal. Using that experience, I and my legal team can better understand the strategies and legal approaches used by New Jersey state prosecutors against drivers who may or may not have been legally drunk at the time of their arrest.
Of course, the first step in any New Jersey DWI/DUI case is the initially arrest. As anyone who reads local news reports already knows, drunken driving is a common offense here in the Garden State. Whether one lives in Bergen, Ocean, Passaic or Monmouth County, there are dozens of traffic stops every week that result in drunken driving summons being issued against drivers.
For some people, knowing where DWI arrests happen most frequently is useful information. With a state as densely populated as ours, it is a difficult task to pin down exactly which cities or counties currently have the highest rates of DWI arrests, occasionally we run across news reports to that effect. One recent news article points to Bloomfield, New Jersey, in Essex County as being one location for some of the more frequent drunk driving arrests.
According to this latest news item, an officer working out of the Bloomfield PD logged the most DWI-DUI traffic arrests in Essex County during 2011. Based on that report, Officer Luca Piscatelli was recently recognized in Trenton for his 21 separate drunken driving arrests last year. Officer Piscatelli’s contribution amounted to more than 25 percent of that department’s overall total of 79 DUI arrests in 2011. According to the article, the Bloomfield PD was itself among the top-performing police departments in the county.
As part of the officer’s duties, which included accident and crime scene investigations, he also processed those 21 arrests he made last year. Named one of New Jersey’s “Top Guns” in terms of DWI arrests, Piscatelli will also be recognized next month by the state chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). That award presentation, which will take place at Middlesex County College in mid-June, will be for “outstanding and distinguished service to the community for saving lives by preventing crashes by arresting impaired drivers.”
As experienced drunk driving defense attorneys and officers of the court, we have the highest respect for our men and women in uniform, especially those who place their lives on the line every day. It is heartening to know that these hard-working and dedicated individuals are honored for their contributions to the safety and security of our modern society.
“Top Gun” Award Goes to Bloomfield Officer for Most DUI Arrests, Patch.com, May 7, 2012