Why is that black line on the wall during my DWI arrest?
As a Houston DWI attorney I get a lot of different questions pertaining to my client's DWI video. A lot of them are discussed in this blog or on my DWI website. One thing that is commonly overlooked is the function of the black line on the wall during a DWI station video. The thick black line's purpose for being in the DWI video room is for determining if a person is swaying. When a person is asked to do the DWI field sobriety tests they are usually placed in front of or next to the line. The thinking is that if person sways it will be more noticeable with the line serving as an indicator. While the black line is placed there by the police agency it can be a resource used by the accused too, since it can also illustrate the lack of swaying that is present. This makes a police officer look foolish on the witness stand when they claim that my client had a noticeable sway, but none is displayed on the video thanks to our new best friend, the black line on the wall.
