What is Minnesota’s DWI Tab Charge?
In most jurisdictions, police prefer to “tab charge” DWI violators—especially repeat offenders, but also most first-time violators—since a tab charge provides the criminal justice system with greater control over the violator in two ways: 1) the officer and jail, rather than the offender, get to specify the court date for the first hearing; and 2) the suspect can be detained until the charges are reviewed and the conditions of release are set by a judge.
Tab charging consists of the arresting officer informing the custody facility (i.e., holding facility or jail) of the arrested person’s identity and the crime(s) with which the person is to be charged. The tab charge is then communicated to the court, with the officer having specified the person’s first hearing date. A notice of the tab charges and court date are given to the violator. Visit your local Dodge County DWI Attorney for legal advice.
