Phoenix 11 Debuts New Program - Criminal Convictions

Phoenix 11, the city of Phoenix government access channel, has teamed up with the City Prosecutor's Office to debut the first show of its kind focusing on educating the public about drunken driving.

"Criminal Convictions," now airing, offers an overview of how the Phoenix Police Department DUI enforcement squad conducts field sobriety tests and how the information police gathered in the field is directly used by the city prosecutor to prove a person has violated Arizona's impaired driving laws.

The show also focuses on the three misdemeanors a person can be charged with and

the extraordinary yet preventable financial costs of a DUI, as compared to the ultimately inexpensive cost of a taxi ride. Upcoming air dates include 10:30 p.m. April 2, 6 p.m. April 3, 10 p.m. April 4, 7:30 p.m. April 5 and 5 p.m. April 6. For addition air dates, call 602-261-8937 or visit phoenix.gov/11.

The City Prosecutor's Office charges more than 7,000 DUI cases per year, approximately 450 of which result in a jury trial. Evidence of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, the most reliable of all field sobriety tests used in Phoenix, is used as a tool to determine impairment in nearly all of the cases that go to trial. The next "Criminal Convictions" show will feature this process.

The show is funded by the Oversight Council on Driving or Operating Under the Influence Abatement.

Phoenix 11 is the city of Phoenix 's government access cable channel and is recognized as one of the top local cable stations in the country, reaching close to 500,000 households throughout the Valley.