Ottawa County Sheriff - Ottawa County Deputy Sheriff Association

Associated Press - March 30, 2008 3:04 PM ET

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - The Macomb County sheriff has ordered that all suspected drunken drivers stopped by his deputies face a blood test.

The Macomb Daily reports that Sheriff Mark Hackel's change to the department's general orders took effect Friday.

The change requires deputies to seek a search warrant for the immediate withdrawal of blood for any arrested motorist who refuses to take a breath test.

Previously, blood would be sought from drivers involved in injury accidents or those who had prior drunken driving convictions.

Hackel made the change following a case where a driver who didn't get a blood test wasn't charged.


Information from: The Macomb Daily, http://www.macombdaily.com

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Get some practice writing search warrants i guess.

should be automatic...taking a blood test should be part of the consent of signing your driver license....DUI laws need to change fast, its too involved, as far as all the crap u need to do to make an arrest....waaaay to much paperwork...should be an hour long complaint, not 3....

I agree that there is way to much to do for an OWI arrest. Other States you dont get a choice you refuse and they drag you down to the jail and get your blood as part of implied consent. I guess I dont see what the big deal is in this new change to their orders because the article states......

"The change requires deputies to seek a search warrant for the immediate withdrawal of blood for any arrested motorist who refuses to take a breath test.".....

Um is that not what you are supposed to do anyways???? What were they doing in the past if they refused giving them a ride home???????????

Don't get me started. A lot of times if its a first and they refuse they will go on based on your field tests and observations, which should be enough with all the crap you have to do for an OWI arrest. If they refuse to do anything you better take good notes. They don't want you to bother getting blood unless its a felony or a serious accident. I see now that the prosecutors office must be droppin a significant amount of cases for Sheriff Hackel to have the deps get blood for a refusal however many priors etc. I'm glad he did that otherwise just refuse and take a poof pill. You may have a good chance it will all just go away.