Lakeland Police Department

After an arrest by the Lakeland Police Department for any felony, misdemeanor, or DUI offense, contact us to discuss the case.

Our attorneys are familiar with the general orders established by the chief of police, including the policies, procedures, rules, and regulations for the administration and discipline of the Lakeland Police Department and its members.

We are also familiar with the tactics used by these officers when they seize money or property for civil asset forfeiture proceedings.

At the Lakeland Police Department, the Chief of Police manages the department and its four major components:

• Special Services Bureau
• Neighborhood Services Bureau
• Investigative Services Bureau
• Office of the Chief of Police/Administrative Bureau

Attorney for an Arrest by the Lakeland Police Department

After an arrest by officers with the Lakeland Police Department, contact an attorney. During the free consultation, either over the phone or in the office, we can explain the charge pending against you, the typical penalties imposed for that offense, and the best defenses.

We also represent clients after a seizure of property for civil asset forfeiture by the Lakeland Police Department.

You might be eligible to seal or expunge the criminal history record depending on how the case is resolved.

Call 813-250-0500.

Recent Case Result for DUI in Lakeland, FL

On April 28, 2023, the Honorable Mary Catherine Green, County Judge in Lakeland, FL, granted a motion to exclude our client’s breath test. After our client blew into the machine, Intoxilyzer 8000 with serial number 80-005810. The results were .112 and .109 g/210L. The prosecutor dropped the DUI on August 17, 2023, after it was set for jury selection.

At the motion hearing, we questioned the agency inspector, employed by the Lakeland Police Department, and the department inspector, employed by FDLE. The court concluded,

“the July 9, 2021 agency inspection, which was required before the instrument could be returned to evidentiary use, was not conducted in substantial compliance with 11D-8, FAC, and therefore could not provide sufficient reliability that the instrument met the requirements of FAC to be placed into evidentiary use. Breath results are admissible into evidence only upon compliance with the statutory provisions and administrative rules of the Implied Consent law…. Subsequent monthly agency inspections do not cure the lack of substantial compliance. It is therefore,

ORDERED AND ADJUDGED:

1. The Motion to Suppress or Exclude Breath Test Results for Lack of Substantial Compliance is GRANTED.

2. Defendant’s breath test results are excluded as evidence in this cause.

This ruling means that all breath tests from July 9, 2021, until the machine was finally pulled out of rotation in April of 2022, should have been excluded from evidence if this issue had been raised. Our client was the only one who won this motion because it was not filed in any other case, as far as we know.

For people who entered a plea not knowing that their breath test should have been suppressed, they have two years from the date of the conviction to raise the issue in a Rule 3.850 motion.

DUI Enforcement Unit at the Lakeland Police Department

We are particularly experienced with defending people accused of DUI after an arrest by LPD. Each year DUI enforcement officers arrest approximately 500 people for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the City of Lakeland. The officers assigned to DUI enforcement units patrol the streets in Lakeland, FL, seven days a week.

The DUI Enforcement Unit for the Lakeland Police Department was created in 1998. The unit includes several officers with specialized training in conducting field sobriety exercises or making an arrest involving an allegation of drug impairment. The officers on the DUI enforcement unit also have training as Traffic Homicide Investigators.

Watch a video narrated by Robin Tillett for “Access Lakeland.” The video discusses how DUI Enforcement Officers with the Lakeland Police Department won a new 2009 Dodge Charger valued at more than $50,000.00 from the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT).

The DUI vehicle is used for patrols and during DUI saturation patrols and DUI sobriety checkpoints (often called “DUI roadblocks”) conducted by LPD officers throughout the year.

In the video, Officer Frank Fitzgerald with the Lakeland Police Department explains that the DUI enforcement vehicle contains a mobile Intoxilyzer 8000 bolted into the vehicle. The Intoxilyzer 8000 is the only breathalyzer approved in the State of Florida.

Officer Fitzgerald shows the in-car digital video system that captures the roadside investigation. The video system also captures the suspect’s performance on roadside agility tests (often called the “standardized field sobriety exercises” by law enforcement officers). The DUI vehicle also has a microphone, in-car police radio, laptop computer, and radar unit with a front and rear moving antenna.

Officer Frank Fitzgerald explains that the vehicle supplied by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) helps eliminate the lag between arrest and the breath test.

Find out more about how we fight various felony and misdemeanor crimes after an arrest in Lakeland, FL. We fight DUI cases, including those with a high blow over .08 on the breath test or an alleged “refusal” to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test.

Additional Resources

DUI Crime Statistics from the Lakeland Police Department – Visit the website of the Lakeland Police Department to learn more about the DUI crime statistics compiled at the city, state, and national levels. Find out how the Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit of the LPD support the Uniform Patrol Division, Special Operations Section, and Investigations.

DUI School in Lakeland, FL – Visit the website of Tri-County Human Services, Inc. (TCHS), located at 1811 Crystal Lake Drive in Lakeland, FL, to register online for Level I or Level II DUI school. Tri-County Human Services serves people who live, work, or attend school in Hardee County, Highlands County, or Polk County, FL. After registering online, you must contact the office within five (5) days to schedule the classroom instruction and evaluation.

Find an Experienced DUI Attorney for Lakeland, FL

If you were arrested for DUI in Polk County, contact an experienced attorney with the Sammis Law Firm. Whether your case involves a breath test, urine test, blood test, or refusal to submit to testing, we can help.

We know how to contest the administrative suspension during a formal review hearing at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) Bureau of Administrative Review (BAR) office.

Call (813) 250-0500 to schedule an initial consultation with an attorney over the phone or schedule an office consultation.

This article was last updated on Monday, August 21, 2023.