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A
description of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
posted by Florida DUI Lawyer.*
Parks
& Braxton, your best resource for a Florida
DUI Lawyer, wants you to be well informed.
Here is a basic description of the Walk
and Turn test:
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In the absence of demonstration, the validity
of the test is affected. The officer should
make sure the right foot is in front of the
left foot to start, for standardization purposes.
This is important for the subsequent walking
stage, specifically in the evaluation of the
turn, so that a person is not "wrong footed"
as it is commonly described. If the suspect
is instructed or demonstrated improperly it
may affect the suspect during this part of the
test. After placing the person in the starting
position, the officer then explains the test
requirements, using verbal instructions and
demonstration.
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There are two scoring factors that can assessed
to the suspect's performance during the Instruction
Phase. If the suspect cannot keep balance while
listening to the instructions, that is when
his feet actually break apart. This item is
only scored if the suspect does not maintain
the heel to toe position throughout the instructions.
The officer is trained to be conservative in
their scoring and not to score a point if the
suspect sways or uses the arms to balance but
maintains the starting position during this
stage.
This
material is for informational purposes only. If
you want to know how the SFST tests affect you,
please contact Florida DUI
Lawyers, Parks &
Braxton
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