Field Sobriety Testing and Drug Recognition Experts
The articles contained in this section not only discuss the proper administration of field sobriety tests, but also relate the research that served as a background for the creation of standardized field sobriety tests. There is also reference material that explains the Drug Recognition Expert program, the qualifications for being a Drug Recognition Expert, the training involved, and the scope of expert opinions that a Drug Recognition Expert can and cannot express.
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Evidentiary Issues in DWI Source - Other | A 65-page PowerPoint outline of a lecture presented by Dr. Troy Walden at the 2006 Judicial Section Annual Conference in which he summarizes the research used in formulating the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, the proper administration of the tests, and the training and methods employed by a Drug Recognition Expert to recognize and identify drug use.
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Development and Field Test of Psychophysical Tests for DWI Arrest Source - Government | This 83-page article (with 15 pages of footnotes and appendices) contains the original and most comprehensive research conducted by Dr. Marcella Burns of the Southern California Research Institute pursuant to a contract from NHTSA. The study reviewed the administration and scoring procedures for sobriety tests consisting of the walk and turn test, one leg stand test, and horizontal gaze nystagmus. The effectiveness of the standardized battery was evaluated in a laboratory setting and in a field setting. The conclusions of the study related the percentage of the time an arresting officer was able to correlate standardized field sobriety tests to a blood alcohol level in excess of .10.
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Validation of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test Battery at BACs Below 0.10 Percent Source - Government | This 43-page report was prepared by Anacapa Sciences, Inc. of Santa Barbera California and submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration evaluating the accuracy of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Battery to assist officers in making arrest decisions for DWI at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) below 0.10 percent. NHTSA’s SFST battery was validated at 0.10 percent BAC in 1981. The trend to reduce statutory DWI limits to 0.08 percent BAC prompted this research project.
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A Florida Validation Study of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Battery Source - Government | This 38-page NHTSA report was prepared by Dr. Marcella Burns, the original researcher who developed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, as a follow-up to original validation study conducted in 1981. The study concluded that 95% of the officers’ decisions to arrest drivers were correct decisions, based on subsequent testing. Furthermore, 82% of their decisions to release drivers were also correct.
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The ABCs of DREs - Georgia Traffic Prosecutor Source - Prosecution | This four-page article was reprinted in "The Georgia Prosecutor" with permission from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and originally published by the National Traffic Center. It contains an excellent discussion explaning the Drug Recognition Expert program, its origin, and the 12-step drug recognition expert protocol. It also contains a very useful Drug Category Symptomology Chart which outlines the major indicators of the presence of various types of stimulants, depressants, and other associated drugs.
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Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: The Science and the Law Source - Prosecution | This 46-page article from the American Prosecutors Research Institute is an excellent resource on reviewing the scientific research which forms the basis for the HGN test. The article also reviews other nystagmus not caused by alcohol ingestion, and discusses the admissibility of HGN in the courtroom. In addition to an excellent discussion of the science and the law, the article contains 80 pages of appendices, including an excellent and detailed bibliography.
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Visual Detection of Driving While Intoxicated Source - Other | An eight-page article originally published in "Human Factors" detailing research conducted by Dr. Douglas H. Harris, Santa Barbara, California, which examined the visual cues used by patrol officers to enhance on the road detection of DWI offenses. The study determined the frequency of occurrence of various visual cues (stopping in the roadway, following too closely, failing to signal, etc.) and relates those cues to a subsequent finding of intoxication. Based on this research, a DWI detection guide was developed and verified in a field study.
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Psychophysical Tests for DWI Arrest Source - Government | This 62-page NHTSA report, followed by 65 pages of footnotes and appendices, was prepared by the Southern California Research Institute. It relates some of the early research that was gathered in an effort to develop an improved test battery to facilitate an officer’s identification of alcohol-impaired drivers and provide the required evidence for court proceedings. The study examined six tests that were found to be alcohol sensitive, and examined which were most reliable in predicting alcohol impairment. Data analysis led to recommendations of a “best” reduced battery of tests which includes examination of balance (One-Leg Stand) and walking (Walk-and-Turn), as well as the jerking nystagmus movement of the eyes (Alcohol Gaze Nystagmus).
- The Detection of DWI Motorcyclists Source - Government | This 166-page report from NHTSA details two years of research conducted by Anacapa Sciences Inc. studying a set of 14 behavioral cues associated with impaired motorcycle riding. The report was compiled by interviewing law enforcement officers, reviewing archival research of almost 1,000 motorcycle DWI arrest reports, and conducting three separate field studies. Data was collected to calculate the proportion of time that specific cues were observed in association with DWI and those proportions were then expressed as probabilities of DWI detection. A detection guide and training materials were subsequently developed. The finding of the study was that the use of the detection guide and exposure to the training materials substantially improved the abilities of law enforcement officers to detect impaired motorcyclists using cues dependent on balance and vigilance skills.