The Stop
Most Arizona DUI arrests begin with a traffic infraction — a wide turn, a brake-light violation, a weave within the lane — or a DUI task-force checkpoint. The officer's first goal is to get you talking and smell the air inside the vehicle. Everything you say is on camera and will be in the report.
The Investigation at the Window
The officer will ask where you're coming from, whether you've had anything to drink, and for your license and registration. You are required to provide ID and proof of insurance. You are not required to answer questions about drinking, where you've been, or what you've eaten. Polite silence is a legal right.
The Field Sobriety Tests
If the officer believes there's reason to suspect impairment, you will be asked to "step out of the vehicle for a few simple tests." These are the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (eye test), the Walk-and-Turn, and the One-Leg Stand. In Arizona, SFSTs are voluntary. Declining them is not itself evidence of guilt, but it does close off one avenue the officer was planning to use.
The Portable Breath Test (PBT)
The officer may ask you to blow into a small handheld device at the roadside. The PBT is also voluntary and the numeric result is generally not admissible at trial — but a positive/negative "pass/fail" can be used to support probable cause for arrest.
The Arrest
Once the officer decides to arrest, you will be handcuffed, read your Miranda rights, and transported to a processing location — usually a local station, a DUI van, or a hospital for a blood draw. This is where Arizona's "implied consent" law kicks in: if you refuse the formal breath or blood test, your license is automatically suspended for 12 months (first refusal) or 24 months (second).
Booking and Release
Most first-time DUI defendants are released within a few hours with a citation and a court date. Extreme or aggravated DUI arrests may involve an overnight hold and a bond hearing. Either way, the MVD clock starts ticking the moment the officer serves the Admin Per Se/Implied Consent Affidavit — you have 30 days to request an MVD hearing or your license suspension becomes automatic.
Read This Next
The first 24 hours after arrest are the most important. See First 24 Hours After a DUI in Arizona for the exact steps to take today.