I am handling a case right now where my client was stopped for DUI. The Woodridge Police Officer asked my client to perform both the alphabet test and the count down test.
Although the alphabet test, (saying the alphabet from the letter “E” to “P” or any other variation, e.g., “B” to “Q”, “F” to “Y” etc. is not an officially sanctioned test it can still be used by the prosecutor to show that you should have been able to perform this test.
Below is the actual pages from a police officer Student Manual on DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety. Because all police officers in Illinois are trained by the Illinois State Police Academy, and this is the manual used at the academy, it is relevant to your case.
When I represent a client I use the police officer’s student manual on DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety when I question the officer on how he/she performed the tests on my client. I am always amazed how wrong they perform the tests. Most police officer have not seen their student manual since they were at the police academy- – this may be 25 years ago!
By showing the Judge that the officer did not perform the test according to the instructions is the best way to show the Court that the test should not be considered in determining whether you were driving under the influence.
