OFFICER RECEIVES TRAINING TO DETECT DRIVERS USING DRUGS

GANANOQUE - Constable Tim Closs attended a Gananoque Police Services
Board meeting last week to talk about training he recently received to
be named a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). New legislation enacted in
2008 allows officers to test drivers for drug as well as alcohol and,
potentially, press charges.

Const. Closs joins two DRE officers in Kingston, one north of
Belleville and one in Ottawa East. Law enforcement agencies can call
these officers in if a person is suspected of drug impairment.

Chief Kai Liu said he wanted to explain Const. Closs' new role with
the force after a civilian noticed him testing a driver at a roadside
stop for drug impairment. "They thought the police were going above
and beyond in terms of what they were making the driver do," he said.
"We don't have a device for drug impairment tests so other methods are
used."

Const. Closs attended two weeks of training in Kingston which included
standardized field testing and sobriety testing. The second week
focused on recognizing drugs. He then traveled to Arizona for hands-on
training focusing on people who had used drugs. "You had to be
accurate 75 per cent of the time about what drug they were on," Const.
Closs told the board.

"The training I took was very extensive and there is a high attrition
rate," he added. "They are looking for skilled people who will be good
on the stand."

In terms of the use of the DRE, any officer can call in a DRE if they
suspect a driver has been using drugs. An examination will take place
by the DRE, using, among other things, a physical co-ordination test,
who determines if the person could possibly be charged. A urine sample
is then taken as charges cannot be laid without a toxicology report.
In the United States, a blood sample is taken.

Drivers refusing to take the physical co-ordination test can be fined
$1,000.

Const. Closs said using drugs and driving is becoming a big problem
and officers need tools to counter that. "It's a good law, now it's up
to us to enforce it. We had to do something. More youth are using
marijuana and driving. We are a service with zero tolerance for
alcohol. Hopefully we can do that with drugs."