CDOT trains officers to recognize drug impairment

By Tori Mason

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — The Colorado Department of Transportation says 2022 was a record-setting year for fatalities on Colorado roads with 736 fatalities. According to preliminary data, 37% involved an impaired driver.

CDOT surveys show some drug consumers don’t think they can get a DUI or that officers can’t tell they’re high. CDOT is training officers to investigate drug impairment.

After alcohol, CDOT data shows the top drugs detected in drivers involved in fatal crashes are cannabis (26%), methamphetamine (8%), amphetamine (7%) and cocaine (5%).

“Despite consistent education and various transportation options, such as rideshares, impaired driving remains a top causal factor for fatal crashes in Colorado,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “By investing in specialized training on the behavioral and physiological detection of drug impairment, we hope to bolster law enforcement’s ability to effectively combat drug-impaired driving and ultimately save lives.”

The Drug Recognition Expert School is an intensive training course that teaches officers the knowledge and skills to determine whether drivers are impaired by one or more drugs.

CDOT Highway Safety Manager Glenn Davis is helping train officers to detect the signs of impairment beyond booze.

“It’s time to look past people standing on one leg,” said Davis. “There are so many variables involved with impairment from one or multiple drugs — DRE certification is an advanced level training. Once they take that person into custody, they’re able to do tests of the person’s blood pressure and their pulse. They’ll look at their eyes or different lights.”

Davis says indicators of impairment can include pupil size, eye tracking behavior, the way the subject speaks, heart rate, cognitive ability and the ability to complete divided attention tasks.

The DRE process includes an assessment of the person’s appearance and behavior and a record of vital signs. It’s a systematic evaluation of everything about the person that could indicate the influence of drugs.

Sixteen law enforcement officers from communities across the state participated in the Drug Recognition Expert academy. Now this group is ready to put their knowledge to the test

“We’re sending them out for the practicals where they actually do tests on drugged people to make sure that their skills are adequate,” said Davis.

Colorado currently has 146 drug recognition experts across 22 counties with the goal of reaching over 200.

CSP says they’re going to continue to focus their efforts on DUI drivers. They can also use help from the public. Drivers can dial *277 to report a driver they think might be an impaired driver.

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