Governor's Highway Safety Office (GHSO) is pleased to announce the upcoming Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) School. This is a highly sought after school that trains police officers through a three-phase training process. The training relies heavily on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST’s).

Becoming a certified DRE is not a simple achievement. This is why it is essential that the participating agency head support their DRE applicant. There will be only 20 officers selected to participate in the upcoming training.

A drug recognition expert or drug recognition evaluator (DRE) is a police officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program is managed and coordinated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In 1992 the IACP governing body approved the creation of the IACP Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Section. Drug recognition, a growing profession in law enforcement, has seen great promise as a means of identifying and prosecuting drug-impaired drivers. The drug recognition expert's main focus is the detection and recognition of drug-impaired drivers. But DREs have used, and continue to use, their specialized training and skills to assist in many other areas of public safety. Many DREs are considered the drug experts in their communities and their agencies.

Announcement: An ARIDE class will be offered by the THP Training Academy on Sept. 22-23, 2008 beginning at 8:00 a.m. daily.