The Augusta Department of Public Safety implemented the Drug Recognition Expert (D.R.E.) unit in November of 2005. The first officer to be sent to the D.R.E. training and certification was Safety Officer Johnny Yelverton. Officer Yelverton attended an intense 72 hour school which teaches officers about the effects of illicit and prescription drugs on people. In addition, the school shows officers various tests to determine if a person is under the influence of drugs.
Following the initial 72-hour school, officers in the D.R.E. school are required to successfully complete 12 drug evaluations on real people, and correctly identify at least three of seven drug categories present in their subjects systems prior to becoming certified drug recognition experts. Once certified, officers must maintain their certifications and complete a required number of evaluations each year.
The Drug Recognition Expert Insignia
The bald eagle, a traditional symbol of United States law enforcement, symbolizes strength, courage and confidence.
The eagle is proudly stretching its wings to display the title one receives after completing the comprehensive training program: "Drug Recognition Expert".
The twelve rays that surround the eagle's head represent the twelve steps in the drug influence evaluation process. The first step is a breath alcohol test, and the last is the corroborative toxicological examination.
The eagle's right talon is holding a grape leaf cluster, symbolizing the drug alcohol.
The left talon is holding seven arrows or spikes, signifying the seven categories of drugs. The categories, based on specific signs and symptoms, are: Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants, Inhalants, Dissociative Anesthetic, Cannabis, CNS Stimulants, Hallucinogens, and Narcotic Analgesics.
The words "Systematic Standardized Evaluation" that surround the emblem are the watchwords of the Drug Evaluation Procedure.
In the background of the emblem's center is a green cross. Green, the traditional color of safety, symbolizes law enforcement. The cross also represents the center of the Los Angeles Police Department traffic division's uniform shoulder patch.
In the foreground is the California bear. This symbolizes the fact that the Drug Recognition expert program had its start in California.
History of the DRE Program
The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program and procedures were initially developed in the 1970s by traffic enforcement officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. This procedure trains selected officers to utilize a standardized twelve step evaluation procedure, that enables the officer to determine whether an individual is under the influence of drugs, and then to determine the type of drug causing the observable impairment. Importantly, the DRE procedure enables the DRE to rule in (or out) many medical conditions, such as illness or injury, that may be contributing to the impairment. Although the primary focus of the DRE procedure is driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement, the procedures have been applied to Health and Safety Code violations, probation, parole, drugs in the workplace issues, and other areas where accurately identifying the drug-impaired individual is relevant.
The accuracy of the procedure used by DREs has been validated in two controlled studies. In 1984, a research study at Johns Hopkins University showed that Los Angeles DREs were able to accurately distinguish between the drug-impaired and non-drug-impaired individual. A subsequent Field Validation Study (173 case study) sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1985 evaluated the accuracy of the DRE procedures in actual arrest situations. Again, the DREs were very successful in identifying both the drug-impaired individual and the class(es) of drug(s) causing the impairment.
The success of these studies has precipitated the dissemination of DRE techniques to 36 states plus the District of Columbia. In addition, officers in Canada, Australia, Norway, Germany and Sweden have been successful in adapting DRE skills to their jurisdictions.
The DRE procedures have been subject to numerous defense motions challenging the admissibility of DRE testimony. Thus far, courts in California, New York, Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, and Florida have upheld the admissibility of DRE evidence.
Today, approximately 4,000 law enforcement officers nationwide are certified as DREs by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). All DREs can trace their expertise back to the 16 Los Angeles DREs that developed the initial formal curriculum in 1986.
A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) police officer has been trained to observe for the signs of drug and or alcohol impairment. DRE officers participate in training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). After successfully completing the training, all DRE officers are certified for two years and are expected to meet certain requirements to be considered for re-certification at the end of this period.
