THREE LOCAL OFFICERS JOIN THE RANKS OF VERY FEW IN DRUG KNOWLEDGE

Three local law enforcement officers recently returned from a fairly unique
class and will join just a handful in the state who can teach other
officers to become Drug Recognition Experts. They are Sgt. Brian Morgan of
the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office and Sgt. Larry Hearn and Officer David
Short of the Conway Police Department.

Hearn and Short are out of town but Morgan recently took the time to
explain the program and what it all means.

Back in the 1970s, a Los Angeles Police Office began noticing more and more
people getting pulled over for DWI-like driving, but were not registering
anything on breath tests. It didn't take long to figure out many of these
people were intoxicated on something besides alcohol.

A battery of field tests was eventually created so an officer can determine
if someone is impaired by any drug, even if it's not alcohol. Working
together, the Department of Transportation and the International
Association of Chiefs of Police developed a program to teach this.

Morgan said just becoming a Drug Recognition Expert, or DRE, takes quite a
commitment by the officer and his or her department. There is a three-day
preschool, of sorts, that must be passed before the officer can take the
four-day real school. Then there are requirements as to how many correct
evaluations a certified DRE must perform to become certified and to remain
certified.

Morgan, Short and Hearn have been certified DREs for a while, as are a
couple of other local officers. The two-day class they most recently
completely will allow them to become certified DRE instructors, of which
there are only a few in the state.

Morgan said they had to go through an instructor development course,
instruct other students while being critiqued and watch and critique others
evaluating.

DRE instructor certification is nationally recognized and comes with
certain obligations. One requirement is to be available to watch over other
officers still trying to get enough evaluations in to become DRE certified.
That may mean a student in Russellville or Cabot, the two closest
departments with DRE hopefuls, may call on the local officers about anytime.

There are seven categories of drugs DREs are taught to recognize, such as
depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens. Eye movement and dilation,
muscle tone and vital signs are among the things DREs use to make
determinations.

Morgan said that while he can't speak for Short or Hearn, one reason he
went through such an intensive class is now he is certified to teach any
law enforcement topic -- fire arms, radar, DRE, etc.

Note From Afar

As many know, three Conway police officers who are also members of the
National Guard have been overseas for several months helping with the war
on terrorism.

I received an e-mail last week from Derald Neugebauer which included a
profile on one of the other guys overseas. He thought the readers might
like to know a little more about the officers/guardsmen and I agree, so
here's some of what he had to say about Sgt. Anthony Ryken, United States Army:

Ryken is a member of Task Force 2-153, stationed at South Camp in the
Sinai, Egypt. TF 2-153, out of Arkansas, is the first pure National Guard
unit to ever take over the Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO) mission
in the Sinai desert.

Ryken serves in the Military Police unit stationed in the Sinai. His duties
include MP dispatch, which is essential to the soldiers' safety, and TF
2-153's mission success. He has helped take South Camp security to a new
level due to his experience as a police officer.

"I was nervous about any deployment due to the fact my wife was pregnant
with my son at the time," Ryken said. "I am, however, proud to be able to
serve my country when it needs me."

Ryken, 26, has been in the Arkansas National Guard for eight years and this
is his first deployment with the National Guard. He lives in Conway with
his wife Renee and son Conner. He was working has a Conway patrolman when
was called to be part of TF 2-153.

For The Last Time

I'm not addressing this again and I can't believe how big of a deal it
seems to be for many people. So, for the last time, the original
information I received about the Conway Police Department union's vote of
no confidence against the chief did not come from any police officer, any
relative of any police officer, the mayor, any council member or the
union's lawyer.

I don't know how else to put it. Let's move on.

Meth Meeting

Due to requests, the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office will be holding
another methamphetamine awareness town meeting, this time in Wooster.

The meeting will be Thursday, starting about 7 p.m. at the Wooster Fire
Department. All the usual speakers will be there to give facts about meth,
it effects and how to know if there is a meth lab in your neighborhood.

For more information on the meeting, contact Jack Pike, Sheriff's Office
training officer, 450-4914.