Pennsylvania officers often look at multiple things when determining whether to make a DUI related arrest. Some of them include tangible results from DUI tests like blood or breath tests.
Others come from personal examination as they interact with you. This is how they spot probable signs to arrest.
Potential signs of suspicion for DUI
FieldSobrietyTests.org looks at potential signs officers may look for when deciding on an arrest. These are probable causes to arrest. They act as clues toward whether a person is or is not sober. An officer finds these clues through careful observation of your demeanor and behavior as you interact with them.
Non-physical and physical clues
Non-physical examples of probable causes to arrest include belligerent or nonsensical behavior. For example, you may start to ramble about a subject entirely unrelated to what you were discussing. You may struggle to focus and go off on tangents. Some people even admit to being drunk, which an officer uses as probable cause.
Physical signs include red eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on your person or in your vehicle. However, many of these physical signs have other potential causes that are not related to alcohol. For example, you may have red eyes if you struggle with allergies. Slurred speech can come from a health problem or speech impediment. And even if an officer can smell alcohol, that does not tell them what your blood alcohol content (BAC) level is.
Because of this, probable causes to arrest are not damning pieces of evidence. You will not likely see them used as pillars of the prosecutor’s argument.