[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/lawyers-say-thousands-colorado-dui-convictions-unlawful-due-forgery\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/lawyers-say-thousands-colorado-dui-convictions-unlawful-due-forgery\/","headline":"Lawyers Say Thousands of Colorado DUI Convictions Are Unlawful Due to Forgery","name":"Lawyers Say Thousands of Colorado DUI Convictions Are Unlawful Due to Forgery","description":"Accuracy must rely on the certificates signed by technicians authorized to test the machines and sign off on them. A DUI conviction can have an enormous impact on a person\u2019s life. Getting convicted of drunk driving leaves an individual with a criminal record that follows them from job to job. For people in certain professions,...","datePublished":"2017-06-11","dateModified":"2022-09-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/#Person","name":"Mick Mickelsen","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/","identifier":16,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Broden, Mickelsen LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","width":378,"height":77}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lawyers-Say-Thousands-of-Colorado-DUI-Convictions-Are-Unlawful-Due-to-Forgery.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lawyers-Say-Thousands-of-Colorado-DUI-Convictions-Are-Unlawful-Due-to-Forgery.jpg","height":2560,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/lawyers-say-thousands-colorado-dui-convictions-unlawful-due-forgery\/","about":["Criminal Defense"],"wordCount":478,"keywords":["Colorado DUI Convictions","Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers","Forgery","Unlawful Colorado DUI Convictions"],"articleBody":"Accuracy must rely on the certificates signed by technicians authorized to test the machines and sign off on them.A DUI conviction can have an enormous impact on a person\u2019s life. Getting convicted of drunk driving leaves an individual with a criminal record that follows them from job to job. For people in certain professions, such as teaching, commercial driving, or childcare, it can even prevent them from working in their chosen field.In Colorado, outrage is brewing over allegations that thousands of DUI convictions handed down in the state are unlawful after allegations surfaced that a technician responsible for certifying the states breathalyzer machines forged his signature on over 100 records in 2013.Even more alarming, the Denver Post reports that a former laboratory director\u2019s signature still appears on public health certificates used to prove that breathalyzer machines are correctly calibrated more than a year after she left the Colorado Department of Public Health \u2014 meaning the machines have not been re-inspected or recertified since her departure.State\u2019s Breathalyzer Certifications in Doubt After Admission of ForgeryThe report explains that the certifications are critical, as DUI convictions depend on breathalyzer machines being correctly calibrated to measure the alcohol content in a person\u2019s breath. Under Colorado law, experts aren\u2019t allowed to testify as to a breathalyzer\u2019s accuracy, which means that prosecutors must rely on the certificates signed by technicians authorized to test the machines and sign off on them.Currently, there are 200 breathalyzer machines operating in 165 law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado.According to one former electronics specialist who worked in a Colorado state lab, he saw a supervisor tell three people \u2014 none of whom were technicians and two who weren\u2019t even employed by the state \u2014to calibrate and validate the machines and then forge his name on the certificates. When the electronics specialist objected to the order, the supervisor overruled him. The specialist said he quit in 2015.Governor\u2019s Counsel Says No Evidence of MisconductAccording to one estimate, there are at least 130 forged certificates on machines in use in Colorado police departments. In an email to the Denver Post, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper\u2019s legal counsel stated that the governor\u2019s office does not believe there\u2019s a need for an independent investigation and that \u201ca thorough review already has been done, and no evidence of misconduct was found.\u201dThe article states that criminal defense attorneys in Colorado\u2019s Weld County have been able to get 33 DUI cases dismissed after proving that the breathalyzers used in those cases were incorrectly calibrated, causing them to record blood alcohol levels that were artificially high. The story states that other criminal defense attorneys in Colorado are currently working to bring other cases under new review.Sources:http:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2017\/03\/14\/colorado-dui-convictions-forgery-attorneys\/Broden & Mickelsen, LLPDallas Criminal Defense Lawyers2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204Main Phone: (214) 720-9552"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lawyers Say Thousands of Colorado DUI Convictions Are Unlawful Due to Forgery","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/lawyers-say-thousands-colorado-dui-convictions-unlawful-due-forgery\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]