Seattle Criminal Attorney | History of the DataMaster

Unless you are a Seattle criminal attorney or someone charged with a DUI, you probably have no desire to know the history of the DataMaster, which is Washington State's version of the Breathalyzer machine. If you still don't know, it is the machine you blow into that spits out a reading of your breath alcohol content - if it is above .08, you are presumed to be driving under the influence of alcohol in Washington State.

But how did we get to the DataMaster? Where did it come from, and how can we be sure that it is doing what it is supposed to be doing? Well, I did a little research (mostly on the internet) and found a little information I thought might be worth sharing. So, here it is.

As a Seattle criminal attorney this is at least partially interesting to me. I know how inaccurate the DataMaster can be, and this just goes to show some of the thinking that went into choosing an unreliable, poorly made machine.

To begin, in the early 1980's, the Washington State crime people decided it was time to get rid of their old breathalyzer machine and move to a new and improved infra red technology. Apparently the machines they were using before these were even more unreliable - oh to be a criminal defense lawyer back in the day. At that time there was more than just one breath alcohol machine, there were four: the Intoxilyzer 5000; the Intoximeter 3000; the Breathalyzer 2000; and the BAC Verifier (also known as the DataMaster).

To decide which machine they would use, they did tests (makes sense). They tested for accuracy, precision, and blood/breath correlation. And the results were surprising - the DataMaster was the worst pretty much at everything. And the winner - the Intoxilyzer, who the Washington State crime people said they wanted.

So, which machine did Washington choose? Which machine would decide the future of many Seattle citizens, be relied on as truth in court, and damn hundreds of people with little to no hope of retribution? You guessed it - the cheapest one.

Little did the state know it would be keeping Seattle DUI attorneys in business for generations to come.

And when they were ordered, what happened? The Verifier people presented a completely new machine, tested by no one, but still accepted by the state. After several glitches in the manufacturing process and delivery of machines that just plain didn't work, the DataMaster people got their act together and delivered on the contract. Too bad the machine is terribly inaccurate.

If you are charged with a Seattle DUI don't wait to hire a criminal lawyer. Do it today. The earlier you get help on your side, the earlier they can begin fighting for you.

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Seattle Criminal Attorney | How Cops See You

Stumbled upon this article out of the Fife Free Press about how an officer sees his day to day workings and views his interactions with the public. As a Seattle criminal attorney, these articles are always interesting. As I thought it would be, it was the type of puff publicity piece you'd expect to see, with the same cookie cutter answers.

And of course, they had to ask his weirdest arrest, which involved arresting two parents for DUI:

But, similar to stories on television, weird arrests are occasionally made. The most bizarre for Farris happened to be a husband and wife, playing car tag one evening, in separate vehicles. The couple was drunk and had their young children in the back seats, explained Farris. Both were arrested for DUI and the children had to be picked up by the grandparents.

“The sad thing is, the parents didn’t even realize they were putting their children at risk,” Farris said.

People make poor choices every day, but there are also many reasons why crimes are committed – drugs, mental illness, and some people just have nothing to lose.

These kind of stories are heartwarming and do point out the one reality that many people don't think about when dealing with police officers - that they don't know who you are and there are plenty of stories out there about police officers who, while making a normal traffic stop for a minor traffic violation end up not coming home that day.

As a criminal attorney Seattle I can sympathize with police officers who are out there doing their best, and it just reiterates the message I give to as many people as possible about dealing with Seattle police - don't answer their questions, get an attorney as soon as possible, and don't talk.

If you are charged with DUI in Seattle, you need a DUI lawyer who won't just take your money and plead your case. You need someone who will fight for you, who will work hard to restore your reputation, your life, and, hopefully, your driver's license.

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