Erick Trivedi Criminal Law Blog

In Florida, a traffic crash frequently cannot be proven by the police officer.  This means that if the witnesses to a traffic crash aren't located or simply do not come to court, the case will usually be dismissed.

An officer who took the police report can not testify in the case because all of his knowledge of the accident is based upon second hand information.  While there is an exception for the rule that states that a defendant's statements can be used against him,... Read More

The Supreme Court has defined three levels of contact with police and has required that certain tests are met before these types of contact are validly performed.

1.  Consensual Contact occurs when a police officer and a citizen casually meet, for example passing one another on a public sidewalk.  In this setting citizen is free to leave at anytime and owes no obligation to provide information to a police officer.  This right is so strong, that case law holds that... Read More