ROAD WARRIOR

One Officer's Mission To Get Impaired Drivers Off The Streets

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE - It's just over 40 degrees on a chilly Sunday
night, yet the car's two occupants have their windows rolled all the
way down.

For anyone else on the road, this might be a sign of eccentricity. For
Mountlake Terrace police officer Brian Osborn, it's a sign of
something more.

"That's kind of suspicious," he says.

Osborn follows the older vehicle in his sleek black Dodge Charger,
equipped with a secured shotgun nestled between the two front seats.
When the driver fails to signal before a turn, he sees his chance. The
lights begin to flash and bounce off the hood of the Charger as both
cars pull to the side of the road on a darkened street off the main
drag.

As he steps out of his police car, Osborn knows it could be just
another simple driving infraction. Or, it could be a chance to get an
impaired driver off the road.

DUI enforcement has been a priority for Osborn for years, and the
reason is simple: "My family and friends are out on the same streets
and I don't want them driving with impaired drivers."

"It's one of the biggest problems in our society, and it's overlooked
a lot," he continues. "Drug impairment is a big one for me. It's more
difficult because there's no smell of alcohol. It takes special
training to determine driving with drugs."

Special training Osborn now has.

High number of arrests

Osborn, 36, a police officer for eight years, has been on the
Mountlake Terrace force for four. During his time in Mountlake
Terrace, he has consistently posted the highest number of DUI arrests
in the unit and was recently certified as the department's only Drug
Recognition Expert (DRE).

The extra training, which focuses on spotting drivers under the
influence of substances other than alcohol, took place over numerous
sessions throughout August, September and October.

In order to qualify for DRE certification, an officer must make an
above average number of DUI arrests. Osborn has more than met that
mark. His first year in Mountlake Terrace, he made 103 arrests. Before
Osborn's initiative, the highest number was less than 50.

"When I came to Mountlake Terrace in 2005, I thought, 'This year I'm
going to do a whole bunch of DUI arrests.' Some shy away from them
because of all the paperwork, and not everyone is educated in drug
impairment," he explains.

Osborn is relaxed and friendly as he patrols Mountlake Terrace, though
the father of two is perhaps better described as motivated. Aside from
his DUI success, his focus shows in his free time activities: He is
specially trained as a member of the Snohomish County SWAT team, and
was once a world-ranked skeet shooter training for the Olympics.

Osborn recently won the Chief's award for continued DUI efforts; he
also was awarded the Snohomish County DUI task force award in 2007 and
2008.

So far this year, he's tallied 65 arrests and expects more now that he
is a certified DRE officer.

Upcoming for Osborn is a new position as a DUI emphasis officer. In
this position, he won't answer calls handled by regular patrol
officers, focusing solely on stopping impaired drivers.

DUI campaign

Osborn is not alone in his passion for DUI enforcement; the Washington
traffic safety commission also emphasizes stopping impaired drivers,
most notably with its "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed" program. The
program grants departments extra funds to put more patrol officers on
the street during peak hours. This year, Drive Hammered, Get Nailed
ran from Aug. 14 to Sept. 7.

During the campaign, 339 DUI arrests were made in Snohomish County,
according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

According to Osborn, the focus on patrolling for DUIs has been
working, as departments saw the overall number of DUIs drop during
2007 and 2008.

Knowing what to look for

The night Osborn pulls over the car with its windows rolled down is
his first night back on patrol after completing DRE training. It's his
seventh pull over of the night so far - he estimates an average of 25
to 30 stops over the course of his graveyard shift.

What Osborn looks for as he cruises the Mountlake Terrace streets is
anything unusual that will allow him to make contact. His first stop
of the night is a driver who didn't perform a complete stop before
turning right on a red light.

"People impaired forget to stop sometimes. We use it as an opportunity
to look for someone under the influence. It's also an opportunity to
educate someone (on safe driving)," he explains.

This driver, pulled over on the side of the I-5 southbound on-ramp,
cars whizzing by and lights dancing on the grassy hillside, gets off
with just a warning tonight.

Other pull-overs include a busted headlight and a man driving with his
high beams on in traffic. They are all little stops that could mean
something more, explains Osborn.

"One of the things that's a nexus for most crime we contact is vehicle
stops. We can legally stop a driver because they've committed an
actual violation, and then we can look for additional crimes," he explains.

Osborn recounts a story of pulling over a man for a minor driving
infraction and finding nine pounds of marijuana butter in the vehicle.
That eventually led police to others who were manufacturing and
selling copious amounts of marijuana and heroin.

As he drives, Osborn looks up the license plates of various drivers on
the in-car computer that links him not only to driving and licensing
information, but to all other officers on the road in the area. When
Osborn runs the license for one driver, pulled over for have illegal
LED lights on his wipers, screen upon screen of former infractions is
listed on the system. Tonight, it's just a warning, "and a chance to
talk to a driver who's had issues," says Osborn.

A 'good stop'

His first impaired driving arrest comes with the man with the windows
rolled down. There's no alcohol on the driver's breath, but while
talking to Osborn he is twitching and has strange eye movements.
Osborn asks the man to step out of the car to perform a series of tests.

The man, large, bald and wearing a track suit, steps out uneasily.
"Yes sir," he says. "Okay sir."

Osborn runs him through a battery of tests: asking the man to walk a
straight line heel-to-toe, having him tell him when he's estimated 30
seconds in his head (the driver makes it to about 24), watching him
attempt to balance on one foot while counting "One-one thousand,
two-one thousand."

The man wavers and his foot hits the ground.

Though the man is adamant he has taken no drugs, Osborn explains: "I'm
a drug recognition expert - I'm not your normal police officer."
Osborn makes the arrest. Before he puts the driver in the back of his
car, Osborn gives him a chance to say whether or not he is under the
influence.

"I'll do this the hard way, sir," comes the reply.

They drive back to the station. "All this because my blinker was
late," laments the man.

The driver has the option of getting a blood test to see if he is
indeed under the influence, or refuse and have his license suspended
for DUI.

He refuses the test. Before another officer takes him to the jail, he
says, "Thank you sir. You have a good night sir."

"That is definitely someone I wouldn't want out on the roadway with my
family. I think it's a pretty good stop," says Osborn.

A night's work

On the way to complete paperwork concerning the arrest at the jail,
Osborn is called to the scene of an accident. He arrives to see a
large white pickup smashed like a sordid kiss against a thick,
undamaged tree. The driver, later identified as impaired, walks
aimlessly yet unharmed around the scene, a cigarette drooping from his
lips.

It begins to drizzle as fire trucks and paramedics arrive. It's only
10:45 p.m., early in the night shift and already there's been multiple
pull-overs, an arrest and an accident. All in a night's work.