Huntington Beach May Put California DUI Arrestees on Facebook

Everyone seems to understand that California DUI is a serious offense, especially for those who have been arrested and convicted of this charge more than once. Different strategies have been employed over time to attempt to deter this conduct, and with the advent of social networking comes a new idea from the Huntington Beach City Council – publishing the mug shots of those arrested in Huntington Beach for California DUI on the police department’s Facebook page. These photos would be limited to those who have a conviction on their record.

This proposal is actually a scaled down version of the original proposal, which would have published the mug photos of everyone arrested for California DUI, and not just those who have a prior California DUI conviction. However, the police department as well as some council members were somewhat skittish in regards to this idea for several reasons, not the least of which involves the notion of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ that’s been a criminal justice norm for centuries.

Huntington Beach DUI Statistics

One of the reasons this drastic step is being considered is because of the high number of California DUI arrests that occur in Huntington Beach. When limited to cities of its size, Huntington Beach ranks at the top of California cities when it comes to DUI arrests and accidents. In 2009 alone, there were almost 1,700 arrests as well as nearly 200 people who were injured or killed in DUI accidents.

California DUI Defense Attorneys

This situation does not present a positive development for people who are pulled over and investigated for California DUI. No one wants to be publicly embarrassed, and it’s quite possible that some people who are not guilty of California DUI will still have their photos published in a public forum and will be thought of as drunk drivers.