Arizona Police DRE Training Enables Officers to Identify Drug DUI Impairments

AZ Drug Recognition Program Earns National Recognition for Success in Identifying Drug Impaired Drivers

Many Police Officers in Maricopa County are trained in drug recognition and evaluation. This intense and specialized training allows them to distinguish between drug impaired drivers from medically impaired drivers. Symptoms are often similar or the same in both situations.

Qualifications to Participate in DRE

To participate in the program, the officer must meet the following criteria:

• Must have 3 years of law enforcement training unless waived by an Agency coordinator:
• Submit an application through their supervisor or DRE coordinator to the DRE Advisory Committee;
• Show acceptable history of good conduct, and law enforcement service;
• Provide a copy of their Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST) progress log, and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) Certificate to the DRE Advisory Committee

 Drug Recognition Expert Training Phases

  The Program consists of three phases that need to be completed:

1.  DRE Pre-School – 2 days or 16 hours
2.  DRE School – 7 days or 56 hours
3.  DRE Field Certification – 5 days or 40 hours 

Phase I – The officer is learns techniques of drug evaluation, procedures and strategies for

Phase II – Classroom Setting – Officers receive detailed instructions in the techniques of the drug evaluation examination as well as in physiology, the effects of drugs, and legal considerations.  A written examination follows classroom instruction.

Phase III-Field Certification – For the next 60 – 90 days, participants evaluate persons suspected of Drug DUI, drug impairment as well as alcohol impaired drivers, under the supervision of certified instructors. A minimum of 12 drug DUI evaluations must be completed. This is followed by a comprehensive exam.

After successful completion of these three phases, the Officer will be certified as an official  Drug Recognition Expert.  The Certified DRE Police Officer must be recertified every two years.