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KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI -- Press Release from Kirksville Police Department

Officer Steve Feeney undergoes advanced training to become Kirksville's first Drug Recognition Expert.

A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) is a specially trained law enforcement officer trained to recognize impairment of drivers under the influence of drugs or combination of drugs and alcohol.  A DRE undergoes specialized training in detecting and identifying persons who are under the influence of drugs and in identifying the category or categories of drugs causing the impairment. 

Typically a DRE is requested when an officer arrests a subject for DWI who the officer suspects is impaired by something other than alcohol.  The DRE evaluates and assesses the person's appearance and behavior. The DRE also carefully measures and records vital signs and makes precise observations of the person's automatic responses and reactions. The DRE also administers carefully designed psychophysical tests to evaluate the person's judgment, information processing ability, coordination and various other characteristics. The DRE will systematically consider everything about the person that could indicate the influence of drugs. 

The Drug Evaluation and Classification Program began in the early 1970's but since has grown to incompass 46 States (including the District of Columbia), Canada, as well as other countries. Officer Feeney is the only DRE in Adair County, 1 of only a handful in all of northeast Missouri, and one of only 250 DREs in the State of Missouri. 

The phases of the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program's (DECP) training requirements for certification are established by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

Phase One is the DRE Pre-school which includes an overview of the DRE evaluation procedures, the seven drug categories, eye examinations, and profiency in the Standardized Field Sobriety battery.

Phase Two is the DRE School which included an overview of the DRE evaluation procedures, expanded sessions on each of the seven drug categories, drug combinations, and examination of vital signs.

Phase Three is the hands on DRE evaluations, consisting of a minimum of 12 possibly impaired subjects under the supervision of a trained DRE Instructor.

"Impaired driving continues to be one of Amercia's deadliest crime.  This training is designed to provide us with information and resources to fight drunk and drugged driving in our community" said Ofcr Feeney.