DRE Online Continuing Education Opportunity
Expert Insights: Testifying in Court as a Drug Recognition Expert
Expert Insights: Testifying in Court as a Drug Recognition Expert, an eLearning course, is designed to support Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) as they prepare to appear as witnesses in drug-impaired driving trials. Throughout the course, experts in the fields of law enforcement and prosecution share advice on enhancing courtroom presence and testimony skills, in addition to examining some of the challenges of testifying in impaired driving cases.
This course explores the role of the DRE witness, fundamental courtroom rules and processes, case file preparation, and personal preparation, recognizing that the groundwork for successful testimony is multi-faceted. Learners interact with the content sequentially, beginning with the preparation required before appearance as a DRE witness at a trial, the expert witness testimony during the direct examination, cross-examination by the defense attorney, and considerations after the conclusion of the trial.
While tailored to officers who are DREs, this eLearning course is not part of the process of qualifying for or certifying an individual as a DRE.
You may experience differences in some legal procedures that differ from Vermont. If you have questions about specific content, please contact Vermont Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, Stacy Graczyk Stacy.Graczyk@vermont.gov or Dennis Wygmans Dennis.Wygmans@vermont.gov
DREs can sign up for an account to access the training at www.copstrainingportal.org It requires minimal information and gives the DREs access to all courses offered through the LMS. All courses are free and can be taken at the DREs own pace.
Once your account is created navigate to E-Learning Courses, Traffic Safety, and select Expert Insights: Testifying in Court as a Drug Recognition Expert.
Upon completion, please provide the certificate of completion to John Flannigan, VT DECP state coordinator at John@Flannigansafety.com. You will receive 4 DRE credit hours for this training
What Really is the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test?
Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Jack E. Richman, OD, FAAO, FCOVD
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- Police Physician
- SFST/Drug Recognition Expert Instructor
- Hingham (MA) Police Department
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5808355319184539482
Description: Consumption of alcohol or certain other drugs hinders the ability of the brain to correctly control eye muscles. The resulting abnormal eye movements are readily observable and identifiable by properly educated and trained observers, such as law enforcement officers. These observations form the basis of some of the key assessments of impaired drivers that officers conduct at roadside during traffic stops, including the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) and Vertical Gaze Nystagmus (VGN) tests. In this presentation, the HGN test, will explored in depth so that a DRE will be more aware of the HGN Test and to be better prepared to interpretive the results. Explored will be how this test is used and related with other tests for detection of alcohol and /or drug impairment and relationship to driving.
DRE Vital Signs: A Closer Look at Frequently Asked & Unasked Questions!
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenters:
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- Jack E. Richman, OD, FAAO, FCOVD
- Police Physician
- SFST/Drug Recognition Expert Instructor
- Hingham (MA) Police Department
- Donald W. Alves, MD, MS, FAAEM, FACEP
- Medical Director, Tactical Physician,
- Maryland Department of State Police
- Medical Services Unit
- Jack E. Richman, OD, FAAO, FCOVD
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3881255582833072215
Description: The DRE evaluation considers vital signs (pulse rate, blood pressures and body temperature) as an integral part of the assessment. Yet people can vary widely in their vital signs. There are ranges within which most peoples’ vital signs will be nearly all of the time. However, various factors can affect these results ranging from a person's physical fitness, heredity, age, illness, anxiety to the methods and instruments used to measure. By taking a closer look at these inter relationships between blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and breathing rate factors and the “normal” ranges, this information ought to help the DRE potentially make better decisions in distinguishing impairment from either drugs, medical impairment or both. This will be approached by raising a continual series of Frequently Asked and Unasked Questions.
.05 - Utah’s Experiment in Saving Lives
Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Tyson Skeen - Utah TSRP
Sgt. Jared Cornia - Utah Highway Patrol
Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6598825014514268683
Description: This session will discuss how Utah became the first state in the country to have a per se impaired driving level of .05 BAC. What happened? What is happening now? Where is this going? This session will discuss the mandatory training included in the statute for law enforcement that goes along with the amended per se impaired driving level. It will review how police, prosecutors, and the courts have all responded to the change and how things are really going when the rubber hits the road in Utah now with four years of experience after the change took place.
Expert Insights: Testifying in Court as a Drug Recognition Expert (THIS CAN STAY UP UNTIL THE END OF 2023)
Title: Be Your Agency's Leader in a DUI
Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Time: 1p-2p Eastern
Presenter: Sgt. Don Egdorf - Houston (TX) Police Department
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4375456375126342239
Description: Many times, officers and prosecutors struggle with DUI issues, not because of training, but because leadership is lacking. Too many times we wait for someone to take that leadership role within our office or agency when that leader could be us. This session will discuss challenges to leadership and discuss ideas and techniques to become the professional leader that your office or agency needs so that DUI cases can be better investigated and prosecuted. This isn't looking at Chiefs of Elected Prosecutors, but instead, it is looking to help you as the officer on the street or the prosecutor in the courtroom to become a better and more professional leader. The ideas and topics discussed should truly help to allow you as an officer or a prosecutor to better your agency or office, and to present DUI cases in a more professional and efficient manner.
Title: Cannabinoids in Impaired Driving
Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Time: 1:00p-2:00p Eastern
Presenter: Sabra Jones, PhD
Regional Toxicology Liaison, NHTSA Region 5
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6417814616756223072
Description: The legalization and medicalization of cannabis in the United States continue to expand. With the prevalence of legal and illicit cannabis products, it is not surprising that there are almost 50 million marijuana users based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (SAMSHA, 2020). This webinar will provide an overview of what is known and not known about newer cannabinoids such as delta-8 and delta-10-tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids encountered in impaired driving cases. An overview of the pharmacology of impairing cannabinoids will be reviewed as well as the challenges toxicologists face in their detection in biological samples.
Title: Kratom: The New Drug Substitute
Date: Thursday, July 20, 2023
Time: 1p-2p Eastern
Presenter: Cpl. Ryan Hutton - Missouri Highway Patrol
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7935046105114313048
Description: Kratom is a unique drug that is being promoted as a drug substitute. This promotion is causing it to grow in popularity at a rapid rate. Law enforcement officers are contacting individuals who have used this drug, though officers are unsure of what it is, its legal status, forms it can be found, methods of use, and its effects on the user. Kratom: The New Drug Substitute, provides officers with general knowledge of Kratom, its psychoactive alkaloids and provides impairment indicators observed when three Kratom consumers completed drug influence evaluations.
Title: The "APOTcalypse": Identifying Cannabis-Impaired Drivers in a Changing Culture
Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Jennifer Cifaldi - Illinois TSRP
Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4898163101800436832
Description: Topics will include a discussion on changing the cannabis narrative, identifying indicators of impairment on a cannabis DUI investigation, knowing some of the differences between a cannabis-impaired individual as compared to an alcohol-impaired individual and learning about the various training programs available to law enforcement.
Title: Cross Examination of Experts in DUI Cases
Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Vin Petty, Florida TSRP
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6151332581327964251
Description: One of the hardest tasks for newer prosecutors is conducting a skilled cross examination of a defense expert. Yet, this is a crucial skill for newer prosecutors to master as expert witnesses are increasingly common in DUI cases. Such expert witnesses may be called to attack many of the highly technical aspects of DUI cases, such as: the breath results, the breath instrument or blood testing. Because of that, prosecutors must learn how to effectively cross examine an expert in order to successfully prosecute DUI cases. This training is designed to assist prosecutors in learning how to prepare for such a task, and it will provide the prosecutor with tools and tips on preparing for such a cross examination as well as understanding how to best utilize those tools. This training will discuss case law regarding what an expert can and cannot testify to, and how to best rebut what is testified to by conducting a proper cross examination. Finally, it will discuss tips and tactics for dealing with defense experts at trial with an emphasis on how and when to best end an expert's cross examination.
Title: DREs at Trial: Qualification, Direct & Cross
Date: Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Vin Petty, Florida TSRP
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5152057931098431317
Description: This session will provide an in-depth discussion of techniques and tips to improve the use of DREs at Trial. This presentation is designed for both prosecutors and law enforcement. It will be broken down into several segments to help enhance the use of DREs at Trial, including: (a) general preparation of a DRE for trial; (b) the Expert Witness Standard as it relates to DREs and the use of DREs as Expert Witnesses including how to qualify the DRE as an Expert Witness; (c) preparation and techniques for Direct Examination and explanation of the DRE 12-Step Process; and (d) best practices to survive Cross Examination of the DRE, including a discussion of common Defense Attacks on the DRE.
Title: DUI Report Writing: Best Practices for Completing the DUI Alcohol/Drug Influence Report
Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Time: 2p-330p
Presenter: Vin Petty, Florida TSRP
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1429730584494924635
Description: This session will provide an in-depth discussion of techniques and tips to improve the documentation of all aspects of a DUI Investigation. This presentation is taught from a prosecutor's perspective and is designed to assist the law enforcement officer in improving his or her DUI Reports, so that a prosecutor can better use them to succeed in court. It will also serve as a way for prosecutors to better understand what needs to be included in a DUI Report so that they can work to better educate the law enforcement officers that they deal with. A variety of DUI Reports submitted from various agencies in actual DUI Prosecutions -- both good and bad examples -- will be discussed and serve as examples of how to better prepare and use the DUI Alcohol/Drug Influence Report in DUI cases.
Title: Totality of the Circumstances: The DUI Investigation
Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Cpl. Dan Darren, Collier County (FL) Sheriff's Office
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8835713254818699608
Description: “Totality of the Circumstances” is probably the most used “buzz” phrase in DUI and DRE Cases, but if asked by a prosecutor, would the law enforcement officer be able to clearly explain what is meant by that? This session is designed to better assist both law enforcement officers and prosecutors with that important question. It will take the attendee through the three-degree levels of DUI Enforcement training and pick out key steps and indicators that are often overlooked in testimony that will aid both the prosecutor and the law enforcement officer in presenting a complete and descriptive DUI case to a jury.
Title: Basic Trial Testimony: Do’s & Don’ts for DUIs
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Ed Hirsch - Montana TSRP
Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3933971670761261148
Description: This training boils down the cumulative knowledge of experienced law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges into simple rules for testifying. While these skills are applicable to all testimony, this training emphasizes their application during DUI testimony. Once the fundamentals are established, the training takes the next step and presents introductory basic science on human decision making and how to best account for that science during testimony in a DUI case.
Title: Impaired Driving with Designer Benzos
Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Nicholas Tiscione, M.S., D-ABFT-FT
Toxicology Unit Manager - Palm Beach County (FL) Sheriff's Office
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/917880434068533846
Description: Drug DUI cases are some of the most challenging cases to investigate and prosecute, due in large part to the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). This presentation will provide prosecutors and law enforcement with a background of and current trends surrounding what has become the largest category of novel psychoactive substances. This background will assist both prosecutors and law enforcement officers in dealing with these NPS-drugs while investigating and prosecuting Drug-DUI cases by discussing the challenges with toxicology testing for novel benzodiazepines and the impairment that they may produce.
Title: Nystagmus Review: Causes, Myths & Why It Matters in a DUI Case
Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Tim Cornelius - Florida State DRE Coordinator
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3984433757095840088
Description: HGN is one of the most complex pieces of evidence in a DUI case, however there are other known and lesser-known forms of nystagmus that could be brought up in DUI cases. This session will discuss those forms of nystagmus at length and will provide definitions and causes of the various types of nystagmus. Such information will provide both prosecutors and law enforcement officers with a crucial understanding of these other types of nystagmus and how to defeat defense claims that the nystagmus observed in a DUI was not HGN or was unreliable. Finally, this session will provide both prosecutors and law enforcement with an overview of how nystagmus can impact driving and the best ways to explain this point to the jury in a DUI case.
Title: DUI: Harder to Prove than Murder?
Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Time: 1p-230p Eastern
Presenter: Det. John Cullen - Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff's Office
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2770521242985549912
Description: Detective Cullen will compare his experience as a DUI officer to his time as a homicide investigator. While homicide investigations are very complex and time consuming, the technical aspects of an impaired driving investigation are seemingly more difficult to prove in court. As DUI officers are often challenged in a variety of court hearings, Detective Cullen will discuss how we can provide our best evidence in court to prove up a DUI case, as well as how to avoid or overcome common defense tactics in these complex cases.
Title: Advanced Trial Testimony: The Science of Deciding a DUI
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Ed Hirsch - Montana TSRP
Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7408867119673046105
Description: Human behavioral scientists have spent considerable time studying how humans make decisions. This training delves into how we make decisions, what triggers those decisions, and the ethically appropriate approaches law enforcement and prosecutors can make to put their best foot forward in the courtroom. While these skills are applicable to all testimony, this training emphasizes their application during DUI testimony.