Our Long Beach Beach DUI defense attorneys have years of experience fighting drunk driving charges – and winning – throughout Los Angeles County. And we also appear at DMV hearings to save our clients’ drivers’ licenses – and livelihoods.
Below our Long Beach drunk driving lawyers answer frequently-asked-questions about California DUI charges:
- 1. Can I keep my driver’s license?
- 2. What are the DUI penalties in Long Beach?
- 3. What is Long Beach DUI School?
- 4. Who makes DUI arrests?
- 5. Where is the jail?
- 6. Where is the Long Beach courthouse?
1. Can I keep my driver’s license?
California DUI arrests come with two cases: The first is the regular criminal case, and the second is the Department of Motor Vehicles case. The moment people are arrested on suspicion of DUI, they must hand over their driver’s license to the police officer. In return, they receive a temporary pink one good for a month. Arrestees have only ten days from the date of the arrest to contact the DMV and request a hearing – which is like a trial – to contest the license suspension.
For a first DUI, the DMV may suspend the defendant’s license for a few months. But defendants can usually continue driving as long as they install an ignition interlock device (IID) in their vehicle. An IID is a breathalyzer that disables the car from starting if it detects alcohol on the person’s breath.
Our Long Beach DUI attorneys handle DMV hearings (as well as criminal matters), and we can appear on our clients’ behalf so they do not have to miss work for it. In many cases, police misconduct and mistakes are sufficient to convince DMV judges to find for the defendant. For instance, perhaps the police did not administer the field sobriety tests correctly. Or perhaps the blood test sample (if there was one) got contaminated. These holes in the state’s evidence could be enough to save the defendant’s license.
2. What are the DUI penalties in Long Beach?
Typical punishments for pleading to a first-time California misdemeanor DUI under Vehicle Code 23152(a) and Vehicle Code 23152(b) include the following:
- Fines which may exceed $1,000
- Three or more years of probation
- A six-month driver’s license suspension, though defendants should be able to continue driving without restrictions if they agree to get an ignition interlock device (IID) installed
- Three to nine months of California DUI School
- Two days to six months in jail, which is almost always suspendable
A second- or third DUI criminal conviction obviously has harsher penalties: Fatter fines, longer DUI School programs, mandatory jail time, etc. In addition, the judge may require that the defendant install an IID in his/her vehicles. Note that a fourth DUI in ten years – or if the incident resulted in an injury or worse – is a felony charge.
Long Beach DUI cases usually last several months before the case is finally dismissed or closed. This is actually advantageous because it allows defense attorneys ample time to craft as foolproof a defense as possible to present to the prosecutors during negotiations. Depending on the case, we may be able to get the charge reduced to reckless driving or dismissed altogether.
3. What is Long Beach DUI School?
Defendants who plead to or are convicted of misdemeanor DUI in Long Beach will be required to complete California DUI School as part of the sentence. Judges typically assign three-month programs for a first DUI, but a third-time offender may be ordered to complete 30 months.
Some Long Beach DUI Schools are:
High Gain Foundation
Programs: First Offender; Eighteen-month; Thirty-month
315-A East 11th Street
Long Beach, CA 90813
(562) 436-9801
Safety Consultants Services, Inc.
Programs: First Offender; Eighteen-month; Thirty-month
5518 North Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90805
(562) 428-6426
W & G Enterprises, Inc.
Programs: First Offender
1355 Redondo Ave. Suite 3
Long Beach, CA 90804
(562) 986-5046
(Courtroom clerks always give DUI defendants who plead guilty information about local DUI Schools.)
4. Who makes DUI arrests?
The Long Beach Police Department usually conducts DUI arrests in the city. Its main phone number is 562-570-7260. The Department has four divisions:
North Patrol Division
4891 Atlantic Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90807
South Patrol Division
400 W. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
East Patrol Division
3800 E. Willow Street
Long Beach, CA 90815
West Patrol Division
1835 Santa Fe Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90810
DUI arrests on the California 1 are often made by law enforcement officers with the California Highway Patrol.
5. Where is the jail?
If a person is arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, the police will likely book him/her at the Long Beach Jail. It is located at 400 West Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802. The phone number is (562) 570-7260. Search for inmates here.
Note that minors (under 18) get detained at Eastlake Juvenile Hall, located at 1605 Eastlake Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033. The phone number is (323) 226-8611.
The police then report the arrest either to the Long Beach City Prosecutor or – in the case of a felony – to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
Also see our article about California bail.
6. Where is the Long Beach courthouse?
Long Beach DUI cases are heard in the Long Beach Courthouse, located at 415 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802. The phone number is (562) 491-6226.
Meanwhile, juvi cases are heard in Eastlake Juvenile Court, located at 1601 Eastlake Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033. The phone number is (323) 227-4399.
If you or a loved one has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, our Long Beach DUI lawyers will do everything to achieve the best possible outcome in the case. Our legal team includes former prosecutors, and we have years of favorable case results and experience in reducing your charges or getting them thrown out while fighting to keep your driver’s license. Our criminal defense lawyers are also prepared to take your case all the way to a jury trial.
Phone our Long Beach Attorneys DUI Defense Office at (562) 633-8155 to schedule a free consultation. Our criminal defense firm is located at:
1 World Trade Center
Suite 822
Long Beach, CA 90831
Our criminal defense attorneys also serve DUI / DWI clients throughout the South Bay area and surrounding areas, including Lakewood, Signal Hill, San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, Lakewood, Signal Hill, and San Pedro. We also create attorney-client relationships in Los Angeles County, Riverside, San Bernardino County, West Covina, Rancho Cucamonga, Orange County, Riverside County, Long Beach, San Jose, Barstow, Bellflower, Torrance, Inland Empire, Redwood City, Morgan Hill, Alameda, Fremont, Newport Beach, Ontario, Campbell, San Francisco, and elsewhere in northern California, central California, and southern California state.
Our law offices defend against all types of charges, from traffic tickets, hit and run, violent crimes, and drug crimes to sex crimes, domestic violence criminal offenses, probation violations, and white collar crimes. Our legal team’s practice areas include personal injury and family law as well as the criminal justice system.
Go to our Long Beach criminal defense attorneys main page.