At 10:25 Sergeant Page opened the meeting. He gave an update on the issues discussed at the recent IACP annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona that were relevant to the DRE program.
DRE NOW IN 32 STATES AND GROWING
Currently, the DRE program is active in thirty-two states.
Illinois is the most recent state to adopt the program. They have
scheduled a DRE school in November. Michigan and Alaska are
looking into starting DRE programs in their states, but need to
make legislative changes first. At this time, Connecticut and
Massachusetts are not officially in the program, but have sent
officers to neighboring states to receive their initial training
and certification. On the international side, South Africa and
Korea are considering adopting the DRE program.
Nationwide there are 4,016 certified DREs and 652 certified DRE instructors.
NHTSA FUNDING EXPIRING
The NHTSA cooperative agreement for funding the expansion of the
DRE program to new states is scheduled to expire in December of
1996. It is expected that this may have a negative impact on the
growth of the DRE program. Several states are entering into
separate cooperative agreements, but finding funding for the
program may soon be a very important issue.
COLORADO DRE DATABASE PROGRAM AVAILABLE SOON
Colorado is completing the development of their DRE data
collection computer program, and expects to have it available for
nationwide use by February of 1997. The program will allow for
the uniform collection and analysis of DRE arrest/evaluation data
on a nationwide basis. Bryce Spafford,
who has previewed the program, stated that it is readily
adaptable to the needs of individual agencies. The program will
operate in Windows, and will be free!
NEW DRE MANUALS IN THE WORKS
It is expected that the new revision of the DRE manual will be
available in about one year. Art
Haversat will be attending a curriculum review committee
meeting in Oklahoma City on November 11-16. Most of the final
revisions should be adopted at that time. The new manual will
probably be available on CD ROM. The 12 step DRE procedure will
not be effected by the curriculum re-write.
PROPOSED NEW CERTIFICATION KNOWLEDGE EXAMINATION
A new knowledge exam was proposed at the Technical Advisory Panel
meeting. It was intended to take less time to complete. The
proposed exam deleted four of the twelve poly drug combinations,
and added a section on the four poly-drug effects. In addition,
the proposed exam added a length test interpretation section.
This section requires the student to read a completed DRE face
sheet, form an opinion, and then complete a DRE narrative. There
are six evaluations in this new section for the student to
complete. It was generally agreed that this would make the test
much more time-consuming. There were several questions about the
validity of a student completing a narrative on an evaluation
that the student did not observe, specifically, the first
observations of the subject and the initial interview on the
arresting officer sections of the DRE narrative. Art Haversat will bring up these concerns
at the curriculum review meeting in Oklahoma City.
PRESIDENT CLINTON FOCUSES ON THE DRUG-IMPAIRED
DRIVER
Sergeant Page reported that President Clinton has shown some
interest in combating teen drugged driving. Tom Page provided a letter that the
President had written on that subject to the nation's drug czar
and to the Secretary of Transportation. The President was
requesting information on methods and technologies to identify
and then prosecute the drug-impaired driver. Sergeant Page will
submit a letter to NHTSA pointing out that the DRE program is the only proven method to
accurately identify and prosecute drug-impaired drivers. The
technical advisory panel will also respond. The time may be right
for NHTSA and the IACP to obtain continuing funding of the DRE
program.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE RELEASE DRE STUDY
Tom Page provided a summary of a
just-released study on the DRE protocol that was conducted by the
National Institute on Drug
Abuse. This study, which was reported in the Journal of
Analytical Toxicology, October, 1996 issue, concluded that the
DRE evaluation can be used to accurately predict acute
administration of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. Members of the
TAP expressed concern that defense attorneys may misconstrue the
conclusions of this study. A rebuttal to some of the study's
aspects is being prepared by Wayne Jeffery, of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police toxicology lab in Vancouver.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE DRE PROGRAM A SUCCESS
Pat Conahan gave an update on the new
DRE community college class. He conducted a DRE school through
the Palomar Community College over an eighteen week period. The
class was restricted to 832PC peace officers. The class was well
received by the college, the students and the DRE program. The
students obtained 5 college credits for completing the course.
Due to a lack of active instructors in the San Diego county area,
there were some difficulties in the certification phase, but
those are being resolved. There will be a second school offered
in the spring semester from January 21 to May 20, with an
instructor school conducted over five weeks, from February first
through March first. Pat Conahan offered his class schedule and
lesson plans to anybody interested in conducting a DRE school at
their local college. Tom Page presented
a report on this unique program at the TAP. There is a good deal
of nationwide interest in this approach to DRE training. Deputy
Glen Stanley expressed interest in conducting a school in
conjunction with the East Los Angeles Community College.
THIRD ANNUAL DRE TRAINING CONFERENCE GOING TO NEW
YORK
The third annual DRE conference will tentatively be held
in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York on June 13th to the 17th of
1997. The Buffalo Hilton will be the host hotel. Future
conferences are tentatively scheduled for 1998 in
Portland, Oregon and 1999 in Minneapolis, MN. Chuck Peltier of
the IACP (1-800 THE IACP) should be contacted for registration
information.
NEW CHAIR OF THE IACP DRE SECTION
Paul Helzer of the Colorado Department of Transportation is the
new chairperson of the DRE section, IACP. Paul coordinated the
Aspen DRE conference. The DRE Section is truly fortunate to be
lead by such a professional individual. The assistant chairs of
the DRE Section, in order of ascension, are: Doug Paquette, NY
State Police, Tom Page, Chuck Hayes,
Oregon State Police, and Bob Jacob, of the Institute of Police
Technology and Management in Florida.
HEAD OF NHTSA COMMENTS ON "BUBBLE" ISSUES
Dr. Ricardo Martinez, the head of NHTSA, spoke at the IACP
conference about NHTSA's ongoing research. The fatigued driver,
the aggressive driver, and the youthful drugged driver are three
of NHTSA's major concerns. Tom Page
suggested that in many instances, drugs are related to both
fatigue and aggression.
1997 DRE TRAINING CALENDAR
Art Haversat discussed the LAPD DRE
training calendar for 1997. There will be more task forces to
facilitate the certification phase. There will possibly be an
instructor school conducted in conjunction with LAPD's January
DRE school. This instructor school may be attended by Hawaii
DREs. Felix D'Amico, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department,
will be hosting an instructor school and DRE school in March. The
USMC, Camp Pendleton will host a DRE school in May. In September,
LAPD will host an instructor school and an accelerated school.
Lieutenant Chris Welker, Burbank Police Department, offered to
host the September school in Burbank.
Bryce Spafford reported that Sergeant Jerry Liggett, Central Traffic Division, may be coordinating a Central Division/Central Traffic Division DRE school and certification task force in early 1997. Captain Smith of CTD is very supportive of the DRE program. A few positions in the school will be made available for non- Central personnel.
HAWAII COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF DRE
Tom Page reported that there was a
recent court decision in Maui that was favorable for the DRE
program. The judge has not yet issued his written ruling. This
was probably the reason that Hawaii is interested in certifying
some instructors and scheduling some schools. A court ruling is
also expected from Iowa in the near future.
DUI EXPO TO BE HELD IN DECEMBER AT HOLLYWOOD PARK
Jeff Campbell reported that a DUI expo
(alcohol-driving-SFST), sponsored by the Los Angeles County Peace
Officers Association, will be held on December 3rd at Hollywood
Park. He will be coordinating the dosing of the subjects.
Additional DRE instructors are needed to assist.
METHAMPHETAMINE AND THE EYES: THE CONTROVERSY
CONTINUES
There was a general discussion about the occasional encounters
officers have with chronic methamphetamine and cocaine users who
exhibit constricted pupils. Several examples were cited, but it
was noted that there are no clinical studies which document or
support this observation. The cause of this anomaly is unknown.
All controlled studies support the current DRE training.
MISCELLANY
Bryce Spafford reported on a new DRE
narrative that he had developed for use when the evaluating DRE
was the arresting officer. It was discussed and decided that it
could be confusing and misapplied, and that it would not be
submitted to the curriculum review committee.
Jeff Campbell reported that several of his DRE students were under the impression that carisoprodal and methaqualone were the only depressant drugs that can cause pupil dilation. He suggested that this be discussed at the upcoming curriculum review committee meeting and that a qualifying statement be included in the depressant section of the manual.
Sergeant Page spoke about The Compendium on Drug Impaired Driving which was published by the University of Wisconsin Law School. It is a well researched compilation highlighting the relevant research pertaining to the effects of various drugs on the motor skills related to driving. It also contains a list of slang drug terms. The LAPD DRE unit is expected to obtain a limited number of copies, but additional copies can be obtained by contacting Nina J. Sines, Director of the Resource Center on Impaired Driving, University of Wisconsin Law School at (800) 862-1048.
The meeting was concluded at 12:20. No date was scheduled for the next steering committee meeting.
The next DRE Steering Committee meeting has been scheduled for January 14th at the Los Angeles Police Academy dining room. Please contact Officer Nina Serna if you plan to attend.
You can read the minutes from the January 14th meeting.
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