Police from around our region were getting some additional training Thursday on how to find out if you’re breaking the law. They’re learning the latest techniques to catch someone who shouldn’t be behind the wheel.
“Everyone here is a volunteer so they’re very cooperative with us,” but that may not be the case when Pitcairn officer Melissa Adamson is out on patrol. Twenty other law enforcement officers joined her for a three-day training to help detect impaired driving.
“We’re working to detect if you’re impaired when driving, not necessarily how much alcohol you’ve consumed.”
Each of the volunteers were over the legal limit for this training. On average each man in the group drank between 12 and 14 ounces of liquor in a four hour period. The officers completed multiple tests including one that allows them to detect someone who may have a borderline BAC.
“That is crucial for a lot of crashes that are caused by people operating under the influence of low to mid range BACs,” says Tyrone Police Department patrolman John Feather.
Other tests given to the volunteers were walking in a straight line and balancing on one foot. They’re looking to test balance and response time. All of these tests are based on National Travel Highway Safety standards.
“No one believes their impairment is harmful,” Thomas E. Winters Jr., the program coordinator for the Institute for Law Enforcement Education adds. “No one intends to drive out the door and kill someone, however the real fact of the matter is they are under the influence. The idea is now the officers are trained to look for it before that happens.”
This program is not required , but helps to update their skills. In addition to testing the volunteer men and women to better identify a DUI, they also spent several hours learning how a case plays out in the court system, and what could happen during a trial.
“We encourage all officers to have it so they can do their job and be more proficient at identifying DUI drivers,” Winters says.