App records cop during drunken-driving stops, will call a lawyer if not shut off in 45 minutes
A fledgling smartphone application could put lawyers in contact with potential clients in drunken-driving cases almost before they are ticketed.
Known as the Duey Dialer, it allows a driver to activate audio recording of a traffic stop at the touch of a button, developer Daniel Delgado tells KTVI. The app also automatically contacts an attorney with drunken-driving expertise if it is not turned off.
“If within 45 minutes you have not stopped it, it presumes you no longer have access to that device and therefore it will send the information automatically,” Delgado tells the station. “Where you were, ‘cause obviously where you were may not be where you live; who you are; where you live; your contact information; and then all the recording that took place.”
CBS SF Bay Area, KXRM, WNEM and WPMT also have stories.
The articles say lawyers pay for the application. It isn’t clear from news coverage how the app synchronizes with legal ethics restrictions on attorneys paying a nonlawyer for client referrals.
The app reportedly works in six states and on Android phones only, but Delgado hopes to expand it. He hopes to develop another app focused on drivers pulled over for speeding.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer’s controversial DUI-checkpoint advice: Put license in baggie outside car and roll up window”
