2/28/17
by News Department on 02/28/17Drug Expert Training...
State police troopers and municipal officers began the first of a two-day session Monday to become trained drug recognition experts.
According to the Republican Herald, the training is under the direction of state police Cpl. Thomas Hornung, a drug recognition expert instructor.
About 30 officers participated in the 16-hour course which is only open to officers and troopers who completed and passed Standard Field Sobriety Test classes certifying them to administer field sobriety tests to impaired drivers.
The DRE class allows officers to detect the use of a driver impaired by drugs. Hornung said that police, both state and municipal, are seeing an increase of drivers being impaired not by alcohol but by drugs.
Horning also explained that those certified as DRE can be called to assist any officer who pulls a vehicle over, suspects an impaired driver but also suspects that impairment is from something other than alcohol.
Represented in these classes were state police troopers from station at Hamburg, Frackville, Jonestown and Reading as well as municipal officers from Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township.
