SALIVA SWAB MAY DETERMINE IF DRIVERS ARE DRUG IMPAIRED

"Shy-bladder syndrome" won't spare impaired motorists from taking drug
tests, if a Utah police sergeant has his way.

Sgt. Dennis Simonson of the Logan Police Department requested a $5,800 grant
from the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice to launch the first
pilot study in the country using roadside saliva detection devices.

The new tool, RapiScan, which is manufactured by Cozart, detects drugs in a
driver's system using a saliva swab. Saliva is an immediate sample of what
is circulating in a person's bloodstream, said Michael Beaubien, Cozart vice
president for North American operations.

"The purpose is to allow people to understand that we have a new tool,"
Simonson said. "If you're going to smoke [drugs], stay home. Stay off the
highway."

If the one-year pilot project is approved, officers will start using the
swabs July 1 to detect the presence of cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana
and opiates in drivers suspected of using drugs, Simonson said.

The ACLU doesn't follow each technological advance, said Dani Eyer,
executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, but the
organization supports tools by law enforcement where use is based on
individual suspicion, provided the tools are technologically sound and are
properly handled. The device will screen for drugs the way Breathalyzers are
used now to screen for alcohol. If a driver fails the roadside saliva test,
he or she will undergo a blood test, which is admissible in court, said Paul
Boyden, director of the Statewide Association of Prosecutors.

Obtaining saliva is "more dignified" than collecting urine, which also is
used for drug testing, Beaubien said. Because a female officer can collect a
sample from a male and vice versa, the device eliminates uncomfortable
situations and the shy-bladder problem (the inability to urinate while being
watched). Simonson hopes that those who fail the test eventually will have
to pay the $15 cost on the one-time use devices.

Currently, the swab test is used only in juvenile probation and parole
testing in New Mexico and California, Beaubien said.

Utah is the only state to show significant interest in the pilot program, he
said. RapiScan is used in the United Kingdom and in parts of Europe, but
just received FDA approval in November.