Caught in SPIDRE’s web? Get help from a Maryland DUI defense lawyer

SPIDRE isn’t an arachnid, but it’s just as scary. SPIDRE stands for State Police Impaired Driving Effort, and SPIDRE officers are coming for you.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Maryland, it is possible that SPIDRE is the behind-the-scenes reason. But just what is SPIDRE, and what does it mean for you? Read on to learn more about SPIDRE and to find out about drunk driving defense.

Seven officers made more than 1,000 DUI arrests in a year

SPIDRE recently celebrated its first birthday. Composed of seven state troopers, SPIDRE is dedicated to increasing police patrols on those roadways that have been deemed most likely to harbor intoxicated drivers. In a news conference held on July 2, officials representing the Maryland State Police detailed the latest SPIDRE stats.

Since its inception one year ago, SPIDRE has been responsible for nearly 6,400 traffic stops. The officers of SPIDRE have thus far arrested more than 1,000 drivers on charges of driving under the influence.

In addition to DUI arrests, SPIDRE officers have issued approximately 13,200 citations for a wide range of other offenses. SPIDRE officers also arrested 200 suspects on charges unrelated to drunk driving during the course of the preceding year.

SPIDRE already has an impressive record. But it is only one piece of a larger puzzle. Since the SPIDRE program began, the number of impaired driving crashes has declined in Maryland by around 13 percent, according to state officials, who view the program as a smashing success. One Maryland police official, as quoted in the Capital Gazette, described the main purposes of SPIDRE as sending a “strong message” about drunk driving.

The gloves are off, and government authorities in Maryland are doing everything they can to deter, detain and demonize anyone they suspect of driving under the influence. Law enforcement efforts are one part of the equation, but just as important is the criminal prosecution that follows an arrest.

Big flies break the spider web – Italian proverb

You cannot undo a drunk driving arrest. But what you can do is attack the government’s case against you in court. Were field sobriety and chemical tests properly administered? Did the arresting officer properly and fully advise you of your rights in the context of submitting to a chemical test, as is required by Maryland law? Was the officer’s reason for stopping you valid? The answers to such questions can have serious implications for your case and may ultimately decide whether or not you will be harshly sentenced.

Being implicated in a criminal case by the agents of SPIDRE may sound like the plot of a James Bond novel, but if you are the one facing a drunk driving arrest, it probably feels more like being imprisoned in the pages of a Silvia Plath morosity. But do not lose hope: you have the right to fight the charges against you, and by contacting an experienced Maryland DUI defense lawyer, you might be able to withstand the might of the government forces aligned against you.