| Show Camera Gamera May Prove Intoxication 55 POLICE TOLICE traffic auth authorities planA plan plan- A I r Ining ning to take motion pictures of drunk driving ing ng suspects as evidence of intoxication to be presented in court in case t the e suspects deny their guilt and demand trial It is high time something was done e by the city to secure factual proof of intoxication m in th these se cases There has been a decided tendency tendency tendency ten ten- dency recently for accused drunk drivers to fight the case in court and win acquittal from froma a jury largely because there was no positive proof that they were intoxicated Under the present system intoxication Is a avery avery avery very difficult thing to prove Just when is is' isa a driver intoxicated Certainly not just because Of S he has the smell of liquor on on his breath Certainly r not just because he has intoxicating liquor in his possession Certainly not just because because because be be- cause he admits or can be proved to have taken takena r a glass of beer or wine or a drink of whisky a Intoxication as a matter of fact in 95 per percent i. i cent of cases in Salt Lake City is is' isa a matter of 5 opinion There is no scientific evidence of Inc intoxication in in- c no test by a physician Very rarely can intoxication be proved by eye witness testimony testimony tes tes- of persons who saw the suspect consume consume consume con con- sume a considerable quantity of liquor The whole case hangs on the opinion of the arrestIng arresting arrest arrest- ing officer and perhaps ps the desk sergeant that the suspect WAS drunk With the accused man indignantly denying that he was intoxicated with friends t testifying st as to his sobriety just before the t time II-e II of f his arrest perhaps with a physician test testifying ying 2 eS er e erto S to a physical ailment which might have caused the appearance of intoxication juries are bound to have a reasonable doubt as to the theman's theman's theman's mans man's guilt And you cant can't blame them They are in fact being asked to convict a man of a rather serious offense which may entail a jail sentence on evidence which amounts In court to nothing more than guesswork It isn't the fault of juries it isn't the fault of arresting officers that we dont don't have a better better better bet bet- ter record of drunk driving convictions Officers Officers Off i cers dont don't charge drivers with being drunk unless unless un un- less they have very good reason to think they ar are intoxicated Juries dont don't acquit them unless they have doubt as to their guilt S What is needed is not a change in our system system tem tern of ari arrest st or trial but a change in our method o of proving guilt A number of cities have found motion pictures of drunk driving suspects very as effective evidence in fact evidence in fact with that visual rec reed record id d of the s s suspects suspect's s sp ts t's c condi condition tion f few w cases even come to trial It may b be be that taking movies of suspects suspect is the answer to the problem In Salt Sait Lake City If not Inot not there are still other methods for securing scientific evidence of intoxication which have proved successful sue sue- elsewhere and could be given a trial here But one way or another we must do something something something some some- thing or r else the whole effort to curb drunk driving will collapse I |
