WVEC reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 16.5 pounds of cocaine from a ship docked at the Port of Norfolk. The CBP estimated the value of the contraband at $225,000. The drug trade continues to be a reality of life on Virginia soil. What may be the...
No-knock warrants are banned in Virginia
Virginia no longer allows law enforcement officials to use no-knock warrants. This new measure occurred in conjunction with several other police reform measures, and it went into effect as of March 1, 2021. According to ABC 8 News, Virginia is now the third state in...
What are some wrong things college kids say to the police?
College students sometimes get themselves into trouble, and an incident could bring them not to the dean's office but a police station. When stopped and questioned by police in Virginia, they may feel nervous and assume they could explain their situation. Anyone with...
What are my rights during a police traffic stop?
When you are on the road and see the flashing lights behind you, your heart might stop. Even once you pull over, you’re thinking about what will happen next. With multiple cases of police brutality after traffic stops or during arrests in recent years, you may be...
Probable cause and electronic information
When Virginia police officers want to search a suspect's home, car or possessions, they generally must first obtain a search warrant, and the judges who issue these warrants only do so when they are presented with probable cause to believe that useful evidence will be...
False confessions and ignored evidence in high-profile cases
Police officers in Virginia and around the country are often put under great pressure to make an arrest when the cases they investigate attract a lot of media attention. A study published in the Northeastern University Law Review suggests that this pressure results in...
Supreme Court declines to expand double jeopardy protections
Virginia readers might be interested to learn that, on June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to expand double jeopardy protections for individuals charged with state and federal crimes. Experts say the case could impact President Donald Trump's former...
Neighborhood crime apps may cause racial sterotyping
Violent crime has decreased sharply over the past decades in Virginia and across the United States. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent crimes fell 49 percent from 1993 to 2017. New neighborhood crime prevention apps, though, may have...
How some breath tests may react to a low-carb diet
Some people in Virginia have medical conditions that may cause false positives on a breath test for blood alcohol content. An attorney for a man in Texas got the man's DUI charge dropped because the man was in ketosis from his low-carb diet. In ketosis, people may...
DUI charges and breathalyzer tests
There has always been tremendous controversy surrounding breathalyzer tests used to convict suspected drunk drivers. Disputes continue over whether breathalyzer devices can always be relied upon in providing accurate readings.Last July, when a news organization tested...