New York State's Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program

Many law enforcement officers are trained in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and the skill gained in the course as part of their overall enforcement of driving while impaired (DWI) laws. Additionally, some officers complete more advanced training though the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program and become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). This course is not designed as a substitute to the DEC program and will not qualify or certify an individual as a DRE. This course is intended to bridge the gap between the SFST and DRE courses and provide a level of awareness to the participants, in the area of drug impairment in the context of traffic safety. Based on that premise, the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) course was developed with the following goals in mind:

This course will train law enforcement officers to observe, identify and articulate the signs of impairment related to drugs, alcohol, or combination of both, in order to reduce the number of impaired driving incidents as well as crashes which result in serious injuries and fatalities.

To be considered for ARIDE TRAINING the applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. Have a minimum of one year Road Patrol experience.
2. Be off probation with your agency.
3. Have at least one year of experience after successfully completing the NHTSA SFST Training.
4. Have a reasonable background and level of experience in making DWI arrests.

This course is limited to 20 officers. For more information contact Richard J. Devlin at Governor's Traffic Safety Committee at (518) 486-4221 or e-mail [email protected].