Wise Eyes
PICTURED ABOVE
Paducah Police Officer Jeremy Teague conducts a sobriety test on a fellow classmate under the observation of Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) instructor Allan Stokes during an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) course. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
All officers see them, the car swerving a little over the yellow line, the stumbling pedestrian or the individual with pupils just a little too wide. Each graduate from Kentucky’s law enforcement basic training academies is taught Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) and have cuffed their fair share of town drunks shortly after hitting the streets. However, as America’s dalliance with illegal drugs only intensifies, so does the need for increased training to detect the difference between alcohol and drugs.
Kentucky officers have the opportunity to receive additional instruction through Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) courses, developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with input from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. The program is provided to the commonwealth through grant funds from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) and sponsored through the Kentucky State Police Training Academy.
More than SFST
Going beyond the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), the walk and turn and the one-leg stand, ARIDE is designed for officers experienced with utilizing SFST skills but looking to increase their drug-driving detection.
“We have been trying to catch officers after they have been on the road for about a year or two,” said Rob Richardson, KSP Law Enforcement Liaison and Drug Evaluation Classification Program Coordinator with KOHS. “(The course) is geared toward drug driving and gives (officers) some more tools for their tool belt to recognize people under the influence of drugs.”
The class gives officers three more tests that can be conducted roadside to help determine the cause of impairment, whether it is alcohol, drugs or a combination thereof.
DRE instructor Brandon White watches a student conduct the finger-to-nose test during an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) course held at the Murray Police Department in September. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
Tests will include the modified Romberg where the subject is asked to tilt their head back and estimate the passage of time, for example, 30 seconds. Certain drugs can speed a person up, so if a person estimates the time has passed in 60 seconds, it may indicate something in their system slowing down their perception of time, explained Richardson. The same can be said for someone only estimating a fraction of the time, possibly indicating a stimulant.
In the finger-to-nose test, officers are taught to instruct subjects to tilt his or her head once again and touch the tip of their nose several times.
“We give officers (guidelines) on what they are looking for,” said Richardson. “Is (the subject) searching for their nose while they bring their finger up to their face? Are they mashing their nose? Are they using the tip of their finger like they were instructed? It’s just one more thing to look for impairment.”
The third test taught is the lack of convergence in which officers bring something ( a finger or ink pen) up to the bridge of the subject’s nose to see if the person able to cross their eyes when focusing on the object since some drugs eliminate this ability.
Some people will say they can’t complete the tasks sober. However, Richardson said the tests aren’t a “gotcha.” All circumstances are considered including medical issues or physical anomalies. No one test is a deciding factor. Rather when combined, they can be indicators for impairment.
Among other topics covered in the course are drug categories, effects of drug combinations, pre- and post-arrest procedures, court testimony, and an SFST review and proficiency examination.
“SFSTs are perishable skills that many (officers) haven’t reviewed since their academy,” said Richardson. “(Through ARIDE) we are trying to bring them law updates and the most updated curriculum and training.”
Prestonsburg Police Sgt. Ross Shurtleff attended ARIDE in early 2019 and touted the course as one every person in law enforcement should take who’s serious about better roadside impairment detection.
“In the event you end up stopping (someone under the influence), you will be better prepared to say, ‘This guy is impaired,’ and articulate why,” Shurtleff said of the 16-hour class.
Rob Richardson, KSP Law Enforcement Liaison and Drug Evaluation Classification Program Coordinator with Kentucky Office of Highway Safety speaks to a class about important skills needed to determine types of impairment. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
The Extra Mile: Becoming a DRE
Those seeking to go the extra mile and having completed ARIDE may pursue the DRE course to become an expert at recognizing someone under the influence of drugs.
“We are having a huge problem nationally with people under the influence of drugs causing serious-injury crashes and fatalities,” said Richardson, explaining instances when drug recognition experts could be utilized. “When they are out there, they can take a person and put them through a 12-step process and render an expert opinion, based on their training, on whether a person is under the influence of a certain drug category.”
Primarily geared toward traffic-enforcement officers, some of the principles taught during the DRE course include the drug matrix chart, the standard 12-step process, an alcohol workshop, taking blood pressure and vital signs, and reviews for psychophysical testing and the physical characteristics present for intoxication from various drug categories.
The student-to-instructor ratio is kept narrow during the intensive 80-hour course, which is regulated by the IACP. In the end, students must pass a multiple-choice test with 80% or higher.
Deciding to dig even deeper, Shurtleff recently completed DRE training as well.
“DRE takes the cake,” the sergeant said. “It was very challenging. There is a lot of information to take in and learn verbatim...they make it clear that it isn’t for the faint of heart.”
Beyond the course, a weeklong field certification must be completed to become a DRE. Additionally, only a few locations are sponsored by NHTSA to conduct the certification, all of which are currently out of state. Shurtleff completed his certification in Arizona in August.
Two Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) students practice the lack of convergence test during a class held at the Murray Police Department in September. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
“In DRE, you can look at someone, maybe, 24 hours after (drug) use and see that drugs are still working on them,” said Shurtleff, noting that even before field trials DRE helped him in policing. “Being a DUI guy, before DRE, I felt comfortable with my SFSTs, but there would still be a person where you (couldn’t) be sure if they were impaired according to clues you were seeing. That uncertainty is gone now.”
Those seeking certification must conduct 12 live evaluations on subjects under the influence of drugs under observation of DRE instructors. The selected locations, such as the Los Angeles County Jail, allow DRE students this opportunity when they bring in subjects. Evaluations must be 80% correct.
Richardson noted one benefit of going out of state to conduct certification is that larger populations have a variance of all or most drug categories, such as central nervous system depressants, central nervous system stimulants, hallucinogens, dissociative anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, inhalants and cannabis. An officer has to be subjected to three or more categories before they can obtain certification.
Despite being strenuous, Shurtleff said that for officers willing to take the challenge, DRE is one of the most rewarding courses they can take.
Law enforcement officers who would like to participate in an ARIDE or DRE course should email Richardson at rob.richardson@ky.gov.
The DRE 12-Step Process
Breath alcohol test - The arresting officer can conduct this.
Interview the arresting officer - The DRE will ask about characteristics seen in the subject roadside, as drugs can metabolize and dissipate in the body at different rates.
Preliminary examination - Questions, such as the subject’s name, when they drank or slept last, and if they are sick will be asked. The subject’s pulse will also be taken.
Eye examinations - The eyes will be observed to see if they are tracking equally side-to-side and the DRE will check for nystagmus. DRE exams can rule whether a medical event is going on rather than intoxication.
Divided attention tests - These can include the walk and turn, one-leg stand on both legs, HGN, modified Romberg, lack of convergence and finger to nose.
Take vital signs and a second pulse.
Dark room examinations - The subject’s pupil will be measured in regular room light, in near-total darkness and in direct light to see if they constrict.
Muscle tone - DRE’s will check for rigid or flaccid muscles that could indicate certain drug categories. During this time, the ingestion examination may be conducted. The subject may be asked to tilt their head back so the DRE can look in their nose to see if the person has a deviated septum or lack of nose hair, a possible indication of inhalation. Inside the mouth may also be examined.
Check for injection sites and third pulse - The DRE will check the subject for fresh injection sites on exposed skin such as the neck, between the fingers and toes, arms and tops of feet.
Subject statements - An interview with the subject will be conducted and statements taken.
Opinion of the Evaluator - The DRE will make an opinion.
Toxicology tests will be requested
All DRE evaluations are systematic and standard to the 12-step process.
