While many of us will be getting together with friends to watch what should be a great game between the Raven and 49ers, Pennsylvania police will be watching-YOU. You can expect a heightened police presence on the roads this weekend with police anticipating drunk drivers, especially on game night. One of the problems caused by…
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The Reality of Police Profiling
The police profiling people is nothing new. While racial profiling is the most talked about form, profiling can be based on age, clothing, the type of car, being a single male in a car after 2 am or anything that can trigger the “suspicion” of the police. The problem is that these types of “clues”…
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Pennsylvania Snowfall or DUI?
Can You Be Falsely Charged With a PA DUI because of the Snow? Pennsylvania gets quite a bit of winter weather and as we all know snow and ice make it harder to drive. One problem you may face is a false Pennsylvania DUI charge because of the tough driving conditions. Just imagine: You are…
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Pennsylvania State Police Violate Our Rights While Fishing for DUI
As a Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer and resident of this great state, just like everyone else, I too wish there were no DUI drivers on Pennsylvania roadways. In my opinion, better education and training for Pennsylvania state and local police is the key to saving lives. As it stands, the training police officers receive on drunk…
read more »Cognitive Bias: An Interview with Justin McShane
I was interviewed recently by Christine Funk for The Women’s Information Network about cognitive bias. Here is the link: Cognitive Bias: An Interview with Justin McShane In this interview I explain the flaw in every single one of us humans suffers from called cognitive or contextual bias. I have blogged before about how this effects…
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Record Number of Pennsylvania DUI Arrests: A lot of Unanswered Questions
A recent report from The Republican-Herald: Pa. State Police make record number of DUI arrests HARRISBURG, Pa.—Pennsylvania State Police say they made a record number of DUI arrests last year while the number of alcohol-related fatalities dropped more than 10 percent. Commissioner Frank Pawlowski says troopers made 16,900 DUI arrests in 2009, a 4…
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DUI Tunnel Vision: How Contextual Bias leads to False Arrests
Contextual bias is a particular problem with respect to DUI arrests, not just in the state of Pennsylvania but in the entire country. Through often politicized law enforcement initiatives such as Operation Night Hawk and other similar DUI focused patrols, intense pressure is placed upon police officers and troopers to “hunt” drunk drivers. They are…
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