To help combat impaired driving, the state of Illinois uses the Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). The program provides funding to local law enforcement agencies to enhance their enforcement efforts with the aim of reducing dangerous driving behaviors, particularly during periods when impaired-driving crashes are more likely to occur.
Still, even though STEP is meant to deter impaired driving, STEP-funded stops have the potential to be constitutionally or procedurally improper. This distinction can have a major impact on one’s DUI case.
If you were pulled over by police and arrested for DUI, it is essential to have an attorney representing you. A DUI conviction can lead to the loss of your driving privileges on top of being incredibly costly. Your attorney will scrutinize the details of your arrest to determine the best defense strategy available, including the legality of your traffic stop or DUI investigation.
The experienced Chicago DUI defense attorneys at Glasgow & Olsson can assist and help you in meeting the challenges of a DUI arrest.
Does a STEP-Funded Stops Are Not Always Lawful
The fact that Illinois funds increased DUI enforcement does not automatically mean that an officer who pulls a driver over had reasonable suspicion necessary to do so. Nor does participation in a STEP enforcement campaign eliminate the constitutional requirements governing traffic stops, searches, or seizures.
For example, to initiate a stop, law enforcement, with some exceptions, generally requires reasonable suspicion that a traffic or criminal violation has occurred. This is because the key rules that govern the constitutional requirements for traffic stops, searches, and seizures primarily come from the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. “
As a result, a critical component in your DUI case will be figuring out what actually happened during your encounter with law enforcement. Your attorney will assess if your traffic stop was indeed lawful, along with other elements of the stop such as what the officer observed before stopping you and if there was sufficient probable cause for the arrest. Your attorney may also look at how the field sobriety tests were administered or if chemical tests were conducted properly.
It is important to look at these details because the mere existence of a STEP enforcement campaign does not alleviate law enforcement of their duty to follow established legal procedures.
Get Qualified Legal Help Today
When facing a DUI charge, the quality of your legal representation can shape the course of your life. At Glasgow & Olsson, we don’t just practice DUI defense—we help define it.
Thomas Glasgow is widely recognized as a leading authority on DUI law in Illinois. He lectures statewide for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, contributes to the definitive DUI legal manual used by attorneys across the state, and is a trusted legal voice on major networks including ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and Fox News.
When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, experience, judgment, and respect matter most.
Speak with our Chicago DUI defense team today and learn how decades of trusted experience can protect what matters most to you.