The Law Offices of Steven Kellis

Field sobriety tests are notoriously inaccurate even though they continue to be used by law enforcement across the country. Police officers must follow strict protocols for administering each test; if they fail to do so, any evidence collected during the test can be suppressed, especially if the officer is found to have intimidated or bullied the suspect.

Also, observations gathered during a field sobriety test can only be considered as one component of the state’s evidence, not the entire case, because it is not proof of intoxication. For example, certain medical conditions can often cause suspects to fail an FST.