Law Enforcement Training: ARIDE & DRE
VIII.
DRE trained officers are sophisticated crime scene investigators, specializing in the effects of various categories of impairing drugs. ARIDE trained officers receive a general education pertaining to signs and symptoms of drug impairment while certified DREs can provide specific, expert testimony that a certain drug category(s) is likely the cause of the impairment. That testimony is reliant upon the collection of evidence from the driver based on the DRE drug influence evaluation protocol. The ARIDE officer’s role is like a first responding officer who secures the crime scene. The DRE conducts a post-arrest response to identify and collect vital evidence, store it through a written record, and interpret it to identify the likely cause of the driver’s impairment. Although not all states allow DRE testimony, most courts have closely examined the DRE training and have found its methodology to be well founded upon a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. Going to a drugged driving trial without the testimony of a DRE is similar to prosecuting an alcohol impaired driving case without SFSTs—it can be done but is difficult and may not result in the proper adjudication. It is not just alcohol and/or drugs that create an appearance of impairment. There are medical and/or mental health conditions that can cause, or mimic, impaired driving behavior. DREs are trained to recognize many of these types of conditions and take appropriate action. Through the efforts of DREs, numerous lives have been saved as the result of a DRE referring an arrested or detained driver for appropriate medical care. In 2022, DREs classified 464 subjects arrested for an impaired driving charge as experiencing a medical condition (11) instead of alcohol or drugs. DREs can help avoid a potentially inappropriate detention by recognizing a medical and/or mental health condition rather than alcohol or drug influence. IF I HAVE ARIDE-TRAINED OFFICERS, WHY DO I NEED A DRE?
STOPPING THE RECIDIVISM CYCLE
Once arrested, drug-impaired drivers enter the criminal justice system designed to hold defendants accountable and to modify future harmful behavior. Inclusive in that is the opportunity for treatment. Although involving a DRE evaluation is ideal, it may not always be possible in all cases.
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®
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