The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) is pleased to announce that the application period is now open for the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) school. DRE police officers are trained to observe the signs of drug and or alcohol impairment. DRE officers participate in training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). 

The Drug Recognition Expert School is extremely demanding and intense training. To receive certification as a DRE, two phases of training must be completed. 

Phase I & II of the course is being delivered Monday–Friday, April 25-May 6, 2022, in Niagara, NY and Phase III will be conducted in Philadelphia, PA on May 15-22, 2022.

Academic Training. The academic training is a combined school including a 2 day Pre-School and a seven-day DRE school. This is a two-day pre-school program with the objective of ensuring that the student is prepared and capable of completing the seven-day DRE school. The Pre-School is conducted the first 2 days of the academic training. Students must successfully pass a Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) proficiency exam as well as a written exam in order to progress to the DRE school. Failure to pass either of these exams will result in dismissal from the course.

The second component of the academic training is conducted over 7 days. The training will include instruction in physiology, vital signs, as well as extensive material on each of the seven drug categories of the drugs of abuse and their general indicators. There will be written quizzes. Students must achieve a minimum of 80% on the examinations in order to progress to the Field Certification phase of the training.

Field Certifications. After successfully completing the academic portion of the training, the students return for the Field Certification training. Students will be required to travel out of state and, under the supervision of Drug Recognition Instructors and the State Coordinator, will complete a minimum of twelve evaluations on drug impaired individuals. Each student has to correctly identify subjects under the influence of three of the seven drug categories. In addition, the student must maintain a progress log, rolling log and submit a comprehensive resume. At the conclusion of the Field Certification program the student participates in the Comprehensive Final Knowledge Examination to become certified.

Applicants for the DRE School must be available for both the Academic and Field Certification phases of this course. Applicants who are unable to meet this requirement will not be accepted.

To be considered for DRE training, the applicant should meet the following criteria:

• Have a minimum of two years of law enforcement service;
• Be off probation with your agency;
• Have at least two years experience after successfully completing the NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Training;
• Must have successfully completed the classroom version of Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) training within the past 5 years. The online version of ARIDE will not suffice for this requirement.
• Have a reasonable background and experience level of making DWI arrests.

**IMPORTANT** - Students, or their agencies, will be responsible for any travel, lodging, or meal expenses for the classroom phases. GTSC will continue to reimburse travel, lodging, and meal related expenses for the Field Certification phase of this training. GTSC conducts schools in different locations around the state to minimize costs to agencies.

Interested officers must submit their completed application, and supporting documentation, directly to GTSC. Applications must be received at GTSC by close of business on Monday, January 3, 2022. The application can be found at https://form.jotform.com/91193006457153.  Incomplete applications or late applications will not be considered. 

The applications will be reviewed and individuals that are successful during the first round of reviews will be invited to participate in an oral interview. An SFST Proficiency exam will be administered at the time of the oral interview. Performance during the oral interview and SFST Proficiency will determine the selection of the students for the school. Any travel related expenses required to attend the oral interview will be at the expense of the officer or the officer’s agency.

If you have any questions about the training, please contact the State Coordinator, Renée Borden, by email [email protected] or by telephone at (518) 486-6718