3. Training : The Summit attendees talked about training options for recognizing impairment. They unanimously believed that Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) is critical training for all officers. This is something taught at academy, but usually as part of a broader agenda, so it would benefit all officers to receive a refresher course periodically. The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program is a highly specialized training course for officers that gives them the ability to determine impairment (normally not done roadside but after the arrest and in a facility). This program has long been touted as the gold standard for officers in order to make drugged driving arrests. An intermediate step between the DRE and SFST programs is the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) program. ARIDE training is less intense and takes less time to complete. It is designed to alert officers that drug impairment may be present and that a DRE trained officer should be called to examine the offender in more detail. MADD has previously recommended that all enforcement officers be trained in ARIDE, and many agencies are doing this. DRE training is difficult for some agencies because the training is very intensive, and an agency short on officers would struggle to send officers to the training. In addition, officers are lost to attrition. Several recommendations included DRE trained officers providing ARIDE training and reducing ARIDE training to one day. It was also recommended that MADD help support law enforcement in the area of training, which would require funding; as well, law enforcement could utilize MADD victims during training sessions to reinforce the importance of strong enforcement. 4. Motivation : Many creative strategies were suggested that would bolster community support to change public perception around impaired driving, in turn helping officers feel more supported in their enforcement efforts; and that would help the judicial system see the importance and critical nature of impaired driving arrests and respond accordingly. One area of public perception to target is the idea that drunk driving, or impaired driving for that matter, is a fixed issue. Or that ridesharing has fixed it. Though ridesharing is a critical tool in keeping impaired drivers from driving, it has not solved the issue, and millennials in particular are susceptible to this belief as the target group for rideshare promotions. Garnering community support and changing public perception involves MADD and law enforcement educating the public through the media; utilizing media outlets and drawing traffic and crime reporters in with a compelling message and asking for their support to put our message out there—that safety involves being able to drive or walk without worrying about an impaired
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