Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully this morning announced a new program aimed to prevent and more aggressively prosecute DUI-related automobile crashes involving injury or death. The two-year program is sponsored by a $1 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The program will create a team of deputy district attorneys with specialized training in issues related to these more serious DUIs. Each incident will be prosecuted vertically, meaning that a single deputy DA will handle each case from the filing of criminal charges through trial. (Currently, DUI cases are handled by different deputy DAs at different phases of prosecution.)
Part of the grant will also be used for programs to educate the public on the dangers and consequences of drunk driving, with particular emphasis on educating young people.
As we've said before through this blog, we support all efforts to reduce the incidence of DUI. Given the tough stance on DUIs by district attorney offices throughout the Sacramento region, we encourage everyone to take the steps necessary to keep themselves and others from being the cause of drunk driving related injury or death. Our August 18 post has practical tips to keep yourself and others safe.
Finally, this more vigorous prosecution highlights the need for quality, experienced legal representation for people facing DUI charges.
