How a New System Expediting Blood Draw Warrants Changes Drunk Driving Stops

Per KXAN-TV, recently, Texas law enforcement began using a new system that expedites blood draw warrants for driving while intoxicated (DWI) stops. The system is still in the testing phase, but if the testing phase proves successful, this new system could drastically change drunk driving stops going forward.

How Does Expediting Blood Draw Warrants Impact Drunk Driving Stops?

KXAN-TV reported that Law Enforcement Advanced DWI/DUI Reporting System (LEADRS) representatives are training municipal court judges about the new blood draw warrants technology as part of the system’s testing phase. Reportedly, the time from a drunk driving stop to the blood draw will cut down a great deal as a result of the new system.

Currently, drunk driving stops can take around four to six hours. In counties that do not have a magistrate judge at the jail 24 hours a day, just the act of tracking down a judge to sign a blood draw warrant can take an hour or more. In some cases, officers must transport DWI suspects to jail and if there is not a judge available, the suspect must wait at the jail while the officer drives to a judge’s home or meets the judge somewhere to sign the blood draw warrant. In addition, this must all occur before the drunk driving suspect is taken to the hospital for a blood-alcohol test.

The new system would enable officers to stay at the scene of the drunk driving stop and send the blood draw warrant to the judge electronically. From there, the judge can review the warrant, sign it and send it back electronically, enabling the officer to conduct the blood draw at the scene of the stop.

What do you think about Texas expediting blood draw warrants for drunk driving stops? Do you think it is a good idea or an overreach?