Impaired Driver Training

Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (A.R.I.D.E.)
This curriculum is designed to help those officers become more proficient at detecting; apprehending, testing and prosecuting impaired drivers. The module's subject matter relates to two curriculums, the “Standardized Field Sobriety Testing” and "Drug Evaluation and Classification." A qualified DRE is a specially skilled individual who can examine a person suspected of drug impairment and determine, with a high degree of accuracy, the broad category (or combination of categories) of drugs causing the impairment. A DRE does their specialized work only after a suspect has been apprehended (for DWI or some other offense), and only when there is probable cause to continue with an investigation.

Drug Impairment Training for Education Professionals (D.I.T.E.P)
The purpose of this training is to provide school administrators, teachers, and nurses with a systematic approach to recognizing and evaluating individuals in the academic environment who are using and are impaired by drugs, in order to provide early intervention. This training is not intended to qualify participants as drug recognition experts (DREs); rather its purpose is to aid in the evaluation and documentation of those suspected of using drugs and those impaired by drugs.

Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program
The DEC Program trains police officers and other public safety officials as drug recognition experts or drug recognition evaluators (DREs) through a three-phase training curriculum that includes the following:

1. Drug Recognition Expert Pre-School (16 hours)
2. Drug Recognition Expert School (56 hours)
3. Drug Recognition Expert Field Certification (Approximately 40 hours)

The training relies heavily upon the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST’s), which provide the foundation for the DEC Program. Once trained and certified, DREs become highly effective officers skilled in the detection and identification of persons impaired or affected by alcohol and/or drugs. DREs are trained to conduct a standardized and systematic 12-step evaluation consisting of physical, mental and medical components.

Contact Information
Bridget Reutter
Governor's Office of Highway Safety
3030 N. Central Avenue #1550
Phoenix AZ 85012
Office: (602) 255-3216, Fax: (602) 255-1265
Cell: (602)-316-9734