Field Sobriety Tests

Yesterday, I started a series of posts from a legal seminar I organized. Tony Corrato from Atlanta spoke on Field sobriety testing. Tony is one of the experts that I have used in cases here in Nashville and surrounding counties. In fact , his forensic review of a video tape lead to a reduced charge of a DUI in Franklin, Tennessee which is rare.There are three main parts the field sobriety tests: HGN,Walk and Turn, and the One Leg Stand. The HGN test is the horizontal gaze and nystagmus test. I want discuss it here in this post because it is not admissible at this time due to current case law. The walk and turn test and the one leg stand are the two major tests used by police in Tennessee. The bottom line is that if the tests are not administrated correctly the findings may not be reliable. More on the field tests in future posts.