Law Enforcement Training: ARIDE & DRE
VIII.
Law enforcement agencies throughout the country are faced with personnel shortages and reduced budgets often limiting their ability to effectively deal with drunk and drugged driving. However, substance impaired driving has a profound impact on society and public safety. It claims the lives of innocent victims, costing millions of dollars in property damage, medical care, and criminal justice expenditures. Addressing drunk and drug impaired driving must be considered a high priority despite the hindrances and distractions faced by law enforcement. What constitutes substance impaired driving has changed over the years to include many other impairing substances, not just alcohol. Because of this, law enforcement leaders are strongly encouraged to endorse and support the substance impaired driving training programs offered through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). These programs include Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and SFST Refresher, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training. Standardized Field Sobriety Testing remains the foundation of substance impaired driving detection and enforcement for some 800,000 officers across the country. Some states, however, do not require SFST training for officers assigned to patrol functions. Much like with drunk driving, currently the best way to deter and detect would-be drugged drivers is through the use of high-visibility enforcement tactics. Because of the wide array of drugs and their varying levels of impairment, training is key to ridding our roadways of drugged drivers. That’s why MADD supports the full implementation of specialized training programs to assist law enforcement officers in detecting drugged drivers. ADVANCED ROADSIDE IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT (ARIDE) AND DRUG RECOGNITION EXPERT (DRE): WHY BOTH ARE NEEDED
MADD advocates that law enforcement agencies train all officers in SFST proficiency and retraining should occur on a regular basis.
The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program was created through a collaboration between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program was developed within the DEC Program to help officers identify drug-impaired drivers.
21
Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker