IACP DRE Standards, (LAPD Standards)

LAPD DRE Masthead Logo

National Standards
of the Drug Evaluation and
Classification Program

A Product of
The IACP Advisory Committee on Highway Safety
of the International Association of Chiefs of Police

with grant assistance from
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Revised December 3, 1997

STANDARDS FOR RECERTIFICATION

A topic area not previously addressed by operating guidelines of the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program is that of recertification of drug recognition experts and instructors. As more agencies become involved in the program and as the programs in the pilot agencies mature, it is apparent that a system is needed to ensure that DREs and DRE instructors maintain proficiency. Just as the standards in the previous sections have outlined the criteria for original certification, standards are required to ensure that professional integrity is maintained throughout the system.

The standards in this section outline the requirements for periodic recertification of DREs and DRE instructors in the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program.

3.1 The following records concerning certification and recertification shall be maintained:

Individual DRE/DRE Instructor:

Copies of all drug evaluations
Evaluation logs
Resume
Certification and recertification progress logs
Certificates

Agency DRE Coordinator

Copies of evaluation logs
Certification progress logs
Copies of certificates
Instructor ratings and summaries of student critiques
Records of classes taught by each instructor

State DRE Coordinator and/or IACP Section Staff

Copies of evaluation logs (optional)
Certification progress logs
File of certified DREs and instructors
Recertification information

Commentary: Guidelines for the retention of pertinent records concerning the program operation help to ensure integrity of the program and provide valuable information for purposes of statistics and court verification of training. Other records as deemed appropriate by local agencies or certification commissions may be required of the individual DRE or agency DRE coordinator.

3.2 DREs shall be required to renew their certificates of continuing proficiency every two years. A one-year grace period following the lapse of certification may be allowed for those not meeting recertification standards. During the grace period, the DRE may be recertified without having to repeat the original certification process.

Commentary: All DREs currently certified will maintain currency. A rotating schedule of recertification will be established upon adoption of these standards by the IACP.

3.3 Agency DRE coordinators shall be notified of those DREs in need of recertification at least six months prior to the expiration of the certificates. The agency DRE coordinator shall forward to the IACP staff required documentation indicating the completion of recertification requirements. The staff will issue appropriate certificates when requirements are met.

3.4 A DRE shall demonstrate continuing proficiency by:

Performing a minimum of four (4) acceptable evaluations since the date of last certification, all of which shall be reviewed and approved by a certified DRE instructor and one (1) of which shall be witnessed by a certified DRE instructor. These evaluations may be performed on subjects suspected of drug and/or alcohol impairment or during classroom simulations; and
Completing a minimum of eight hours of IACP recertification training since the date of the DRE's most recent certification, which may alternatively be presented in two sessions of no less than four hours, and which shall be consistent with any IACP standards for such training; and
Presenting an updated resume and rolling log to the agency coordinator or his/her designee for review.

Commentary: The agency coordinator or his/her designee is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the program, and the agency coordinator, consistent with this responsibility, is encouraged to withhold recertification for, or refer for remediation, any DRE whose rolling log indicates an unacceptable level of accurate evaluations, as indicated by toxicology results.

3.5 When a DRE has completed all requirements for recertification, a certified DRE instructor shall verify to the agency DRE coordinator that minimum recertification requirements have been met.

3.6 A certified instructor shall maintain instructor certification so long as DRE certification is maintained.

Commentary: An instructor may be decertified for cause, such as for conducting substandard instructional programs, and still maintain certification as a DRE.