Island County Oak Harbor Drunk Driving DUI Lawyer: The Drug DUI Handbook

Island County Oak Harbor Drunk Driving DUI Lawyer: The Drug DUI Handbook

Island County Oak Harbor DUI / DWI / Drunk Driving Lawyers- Experienced, Successful, Affordable

(425) 493-1115

The following is an excerpt from the upcoming book “The Drug DUI Handbook,” due to be published in September, 2011.  Jolly, David N.  The Drug DUI Handbook.  Outskirts Press Inc. (2011)

Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) History and Development

A drug recognition expert or drug recognition evaluator (DRE) is a police officer who is trained to recognize impairment in drivers who are under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) coordinates the International Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) originated the DRE program in the early 1970s after LAPD officers noticed that many of the individuals arrested for driving under the influence had very low or zero blood alcohol concentrations.  The officers suspected that the arrestees were under the influence of drugs but lacked the knowledge and skills to support their suspicions. As a result two LAPD sergeants collaborated with various medical doctors, research psychologists, and other medical professionals to develop a simple, standardized procedure for recognizing drug influence and impairment.

Their efforts culminated in the development of a multi-step protocol and the first DRE program. The LAPD formally recognized the program in 1979.

In the early 1980s NHTSA started to take notice of the LAPD DRE. The two agencies worked together to develop a standardized DRE protocol, which led to the development of the DEC Program. During the ensuing years, NHTSA and various other agencies and research groups examined the DEC program and their studies attempted to demonstrate that a properly trained DRE can successfully identify drug impairment and accurately determine the category of drugs causing such impairment. The success of a DRE examination is naturally up for debate, depending on who you ask.  The DRE protocol is, according to the literature, a standardized and systematic method of examining a Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) suspect to determine whether or not he is impaired and, if so, whether the impairment relates to drugs or a medical condition. Lastly, if the impairment is due to drugs, what category or combination of categories of drugs are the likely causes of the impairment.

For information on your Washington State DUI / Drunk Driving, Snohomish County DUI, King County DUI, Skagit County DUI, Island County DUI or Whatcom County DUI  please contact our Washington State DUI drunk driving attorneys for a free consultation at 425-493-1115, email us at david@davidjollylaw.com, or check out our main website at http://www.washdui.com or www.mukilteodui.com, www.everett-dui.co, www.marysville-dui.com, www.dui-bothell.com, or www.anacortesdui.com.  We represent DUI clients in every court in Western Washington including Seattle DUI cases, Kirkland DUI cases, Redmond DUI cases, Shoreline DUI cases, Lynnwood DUI cases, Everett DUI cases, Mukilteo DUI cases, Marysville DUI cases, Mt. Vernon DUI cases, Anacortes DUI cases, and Bellingham DUI cases.

Author of The DUI Handbook for the Accused, DUI/DWI: The History of Driving Under the Influence, The DUI Investigation Handbook and The Drug DUI Handbook. 

Island County Oak Harbor DUI / DWI / Drunk Driving Lawyers- Experienced, Successful, Affordable (425) 493-1115