DUI Arrest by the STEP Unit
The Special Traffic Enforcement Patrol (STEP) Unit at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office includes DUI Enforcement Officers engaged in night-time traffic enforcement.
Created more than 30 years ago, the STEP unit continues to act as a support unit for the Sheriff’s Office by responding to complaints and locating impaired drivers.
DUI Enforcement officers in the STEP unit receive advanced training in the detection and investigation of alcohol-related and drug-related impaired drivers. Several of the DUI enforcement officers in the STEP unit have completed the training necessary to become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE).
In the effort to locate impaired drivers, the STEP unit of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office conducts regular DUI sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.
The STEP unit has four members. These officers respond to complaints from the Customer Service Unit about traffic violations to check on in their districts. Each member of the PCO STEP unit receives about five (5) complaints per shift. Many of these complaints come from patrol officers who encounter an impaired driver.
DUI enforcement officers on the STEP unit also conduct their own self-initiated traffic stops while on patrol. The PCO attempts to use its resource wisely by looking for impaired, distractive, or aggressive drivers using intelligence-led policing philosophy to focus on higher crime areas and high crash locations.
DUI Defense Attorneys for an Arrest by the STEP Unit
If you were arrested for DUI by an officer with the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) unit of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, then contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at Sammis Law Firm, with offices in New Port Richey, FL.
After an arrest by any law enforcement agency in Pasco County, FL, we can help. We fight a variety of DUI cases including more serious cases involving property damage or injury. Whether you submitted to a breath test, blood test, urine test, or refused to submit to testing, we can help.
Contact us to find out why our why we ALWAYS recommend demanding a formal review hearing to challenge the administrative suspension of your driver’s license within ten days after the arrest. We can also help you right the criminal case in court at the courthouse in Dade City or New Port Richey.
Call us at 727-807-6392 to discuss your case today.
Additional Resources
Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Unit (STEP) – Visit the website of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (“STEP”) within the PSO Traffic Enforcement Section. STEP conducts nighttime traffic enforcement with an emphasis on arresting drunk and impaired drivers for DUI.
This article was last updated on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.
