1.
The Importance of Recognizing Impairment
a)
Driving offenses
b)
Interviews of victims and witnesses
c)
Interrogations of suspects
d)
Mens rea – criminal intent
e)
School safety
2. Evaluation
Considerations
a)
Officer Safety!!!
b)
Who will your audience be later?
c)
Is this going to court, or to an administrative
hearing?
d)
Duty to act?
3. Informal
observations
a)
Slurred speech and/or mouth agape
b)
Can’t keep train of thought
c)
Hunched forward
d)
Eyes (stare, bloodshot, glassy, pupil size)
e)
Grinding teeth
f)
Poor fine motor skills
g)
Emotional
4. Divided
Attention Tests
a)
Ask for two things at the same time.
b)
Interrupt the driver and ask a distracting
question.
c)
Be aware of attempts to avoid your questions.
d)
Ask “How much have you drank?” v. “Have you been
drinking?”
5. Field
Sobriety Tests (FST)
a)
Standardization of Field Sobriety Tests –
objective tests
b)
Presenting a “United Front” to the court
c)
Reduce liability - “We treat everyone the same.”
d)
KISS rule
e)
Supervisors can better evaluate weak points in
cases, or training needs.
f)
FSTs are divided attention tests.
6. The Four
Recommended Field
Sobriety Tests (FST)
a)
Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test
b)
9 Step Walk & TurnTest: 8 Clues
c)
One Leg Stand Test: 4 Clues
d)
Rhomberg Balance Test: 5 Clues
7. Seven
Major Drug Categories
& Symptoms of Use
a)
CNS Depressants (alcohol, barbiturates,
anti-depressants., anti-psychotics, tranquilizers)
b)
CNS Stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines)
c)
Hallucinogens (LSD, ecstasy)
d)
Disassociative Anesthetics (PCP, Ketamine)
e)
Narcotic Analgesics (heroin, opiates, pain
killers)
f)
Inhalents (acetone, toluene, nitrous)
g)
Cannabis (marijuana, hashish, hash oil)
8. Alternative Tests
a)
Finger to nose
b)
Alphabet (A-Z, not sung)
9. What is the cause?
a)
Look for physical symptoms
b)
Look for behavioral symptoms
10. When to call a DRE
a)
Arrest based on probable cause of drug or alcohol
impairment
b)
Breathalyzer or PBT test less than 0.09 and
impairment does not match BRAC
c)
0.09 or more
11. The Totality of the
Circumstances
a)
SFST’s and our observations are not an exact
science, they are based strongly in common sense.
b)
Training and experience
c)
The “reasonable man” standard, the yard stick of
the law.