What do Drug Recognition Experts do?

A police officer might suspect that you are driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII, DUI, DWI) without knowing which intoxicants are involved. In this situation they will usually call in a DRE, or Drug Recognition Expert. This DRE officer has undergone specialized training to help them detect impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.

What is the DRE process?

Here are the 12 steps a DRE officer goes through to determine if you are under the influence of a controlled substance:

1. A breath test is given to estimate your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If your test result is less than the legal limit of.08, or if the officer suspects other drugs are involved, the DRE process continues.
2. The DRE officer interviews the arresting officer to obtain information about your behavior and any physical symptoms.
3. They conduct a physical exam by checking your pulse and asking general health questions. This step is intended to see if you’re impaired by a medical condition.
4. The DRE officer conducts standard eye examinations developed to detect intoxication: horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), vertical gaze nystagmus (VGN), and lack of convergence (LOC). In these they are looking for involuntary twitching of your eyes which suggests impairment.
5. You are asked to perform four tests to check your balance, mental focus, and ability to follow instructions. These are similar to the field sobriety tests (FST’s) you might have done at the side of the road.
6. The DRE officer checks your pulse again, along with your blood pressure and body temperature.
7. They will then turn out the lights and test your pupil size under three light conditions (darkness, indirect light, and direct light). Your nose and mouth are also observed for signs of drug ingestion.
8. The DRE officer checks your muscle tone for extreme flaccidity (really relaxed) or rigidity (really tense). Either of these extremes are an indication of different substances.
9. Your pulse will be taken for the third time, and your body checked for injection sites.
10. The DRE officer conducts a focused interrogation and observation of your behavior during the questioning.
11. Considering the results of all the foregoing procedures, the DRE officer develops a formal opinion on your impairment and attempting to identify the drug(s) involved.
12. The DRE officer obtains a blood or urine sample for toxicological testing. This is sent to a lab for analysis and it may take some time for the results to come in.

Do not delay in seeking legal help

If you or someone you care about has been arrested for DUI and tested by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) then you should seek legal help immediately. Reynolds Defense Firm’s team of Oregon DUI lawyers has unparalleled experience helping good people navigate the legal system successfully, and they will take the time to understand who you are as a person rather than treat you like a case number. Reynolds Defense Firm: we’re solid, we’re here if you need us, and we are very good at what we do.