Posted by Mark Garka | Dec 28, 2016 |
In light of 2016 being recorded as perhaps the deadliest year for drunk driving deaths, the City of Seattle and Uber are joining forces to help cut down DUI-related arrests and accidents. According to KIRO 7 News, national statistics estimate that an average of 28 people a day are killed in DUI ...
Posted by Mark Garka | Dec 23, 2016 |
The holiday season always brings an increase in accidents and fatalities as a result of car accidents, and one of the leading causes of these accidents is drunk or intoxicated drivers. To combat this rise and try to keep our roads safer, Washington State Patrol troopers will be increasing their D...
Posted by Mark Garka | Sep 15, 2016 |
In response to the latest spree of police violence around the country and the elevated concern as to police transparency, the Seattle Police Department has begun the process of implementing body-worn camera systems onto all on-duty officers.
The new system will hopefully add another layer of tr...
Posted by Mark Garka | Sep 02, 2016 |
The Seattle Police Department announced this week that a glitch in its digital storage system has erased two days of all "dashboard" videos recorded in its patrol cars. These in-car videos can be crucial in numerous kinds of criminal cases, including when officers stop drivers on suspicion of dru...
Posted by Mark Garka | Sep 01, 2016 |
Labor Day is often thought of as the end of the summer season, and many people choose to celebrate with one last summer barbecue or other get-together. These parties can frequently involve alcohol, which then leads to a sharp increase in the number of intoxicate drivers on the roads.
Over the nex...
Posted by Mark Garka | Aug 18, 2016 |
A new study conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Commission has found that one-third of all Washington motorists has some trace of drugs in their system. The substances detected in the study include medications, illegal narcotics, and marijuana.
As KIRO 7 reports, 2,400 driver...
Posted by Mark Garka | Aug 11, 2016 |
Later this month, the state Liquor and Cannabis Board is expected to rule on Everett's "Alcohol Impact Areas." If enacted, the sale of certain, cheap alcoholic beverages will be limited in certain parts of the city.
As Herald.net reports, Alcohol Impact Areas have been created in municipalities ...
Posted by Mark Garka | Aug 09, 2016 |
What comes to mind when you think of summertime? BBQs? Poolside get togethers? Family outings? Sports events? Vacations? Beach days? Concerts? Community festivals? If you're like many Seattle area residents, summertime means most of these things and one common denominator these festivities share ...
Posted by Mark Garka | Aug 04, 2016 |
Seafair Weekend 2016 is nearly here, which means thousands of Seattle residents are ready to partake in the festivities, the air show, the powerboat races, and the live entertainment the festival provides the city every year. Like other big community events, Seafair Weekend also comes with its fa...
Posted by Mark Garka | Jun 21, 2016 |
With the number of states legalizing marijuana on the rise, authorities are now faced with a new problem – how to tell when drivers are above the legal limit while behind the wheel. Marijuana differs from alcohol, in that officers can simply perform breathalyzer tests to find out what driver's BA...
Posted by Mark Garka | Jun 10, 2016 |
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.1 million people in the United States were arrested for a DUI, but 4.2 million people admit to driving drunk at least once in the past month – which amounts to 121 million total instances of drunk driving every year.
The st...
Posted by Mark Garka | May 26, 2016 |
The Washington State Patrol will be using new airborne technology to monitor the roads for drunk drivers this Memorial Day weekend. As KING 5 reports, the agency has revealed new aerial technology on its plane that can track possible drunk drivers and coordinate with officers on the ground to be...
Posted by Mark Garka | Apr 29, 2016 |
When Washington drivers are arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, where are they coming from? Over the last few years, Washington authorities have started to compile a database of venues where suspected DUI offenders were drinking just before they were pulled over by law enforcement.
As seattl...
Posted by Mark Garka | Apr 14, 2016 |
Over the past week, Washington State Patrol has noticed a recent spike in the number of drunk driving accidents that have occurred during the daytime. There have been five accidents in the past six days, which State Patrol Troopers consider “anomalous.” According to the NHTSA, only 18% of fatal c...
Posted by Mark Garka | Mar 22, 2016 |
Snohomish County DUI Lawyer Mark Garka was in attendance for The Trial Lawyer's College Vior Dire Seminar in Leavenworth last week. The purpose of the seminar was to introduce attorneys to a method of jury selection, how to identify danger points in a case and how to reframe the danger points int...
Posted by Mark Garka | Mar 09, 2016 |
"They keep happening, but they don't have to."
That's how DUI survivor Dan Schulte described accidents caused by repeat drunk drivers to K5 News as he joined other survivors this week. They have come together to appeal to Washington lawmakers now deciding on the state's budget. Several DUI laws ...
Posted by Mark Garka | Feb 19, 2016 |
Are harsher felony DUI penalties coming to Washington?
That is the proposal detailed in House Bill 2280, a new piece of legislation that was just passed by the Washington House of Representatives. As KIRO7 reports, the bill, if passed, would make a fifth DUI within a 10-year period a Class B fel...
Posted by Mark Garka | Feb 03, 2016 |
As it stands, marijuana DUI is an offense that is arduous to police and sometimes even harder to prosecute in court. As KING 5 News reports, The Washington State Police recognize this and are looking to finally bring new technology to policing marijuana DUI.
Developing new, accurate technology ...
Posted by Mark Garka | Jan 21, 2016 |
For decades, organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving have fought for tougher DUI laws and more safety features to prevent drunk driving. However, the most powerful tool in the fight against DUI may very well be in your pocket right now, as ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are bei...
Posted by Mark Garka | Dec 29, 2015 |
On the morning of September 19th, a 26-year-old man was stopped outside of a bar on First Street in downtown Snohomish, after liquor agents spotted him staggering drunkenly down the street. A crowd quickly formed around the officers, and quickly turned into a rowdy struggle in which three people...
Posted by Mark Garka | Dec 22, 2015 |
As tech companies like Google continue to develop self-driving car technology, state lawmakers are working on rules and regulations to govern these vehicles. As the state where much of the testing is currently being performed, California has introduced a new roadmap to a self-driving future.
What...
Posted by Mark Garka | Dec 15, 2015 |
In April of this year, the City of Everett responded to an increase in littering, trespassing, theft, and criminal mischief by enacting an Alcohol Impact Area. Essentially, this AIA targets a specific geographic region, and calls for retailers in the area to voluntarily stop selling certain inexp...
Posted by Mark Garka | Oct 23, 2015 |
For many years, breathalyzer devices have been the go-to solution for law enforcement officers cracking down on DUI. Although these devices are highly flawed, they can be an effective way to test for blood alcohol content if administered under perfect conditions.
Marijuana, on the other hand, pos...
Posted by Mark Garka | Oct 13, 2015 |
We are now in what can be considered the “aftermath” of Washington's marijuana legalization. While things have run relatively smoothly so far, law enforcement is beginning to catch up to the increased use. Specifically, the Washington State Patrol is now cracking down on open containers of mariju...
Posted by Mark Garka | Sep 29, 2015 |
The city of Seattle is working hard to ensure that every police officer possesses a body camera as soon as possible. On September 28, 2015, the city was awarded a $600,000 federal grant to increase the amount of body cameras among their police forces. This came as a result of a six-month trial pr...