Strengths And Weaknesses Of The DRE Program

Unit 3 Essay Forensics

Question # 1: What is the DRE program? What are its main strengths and weaknesses? A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program incorporates standardized methods of examining vehicle operators who are suspected of being under the influence of drugs. Much like the detection techniques utilized by police officers in the detection of drivers under the influence of alcohol, the DRE follows the same process, but requires additional training. The DRE program is not offered in most Basic Law Enforcement Academies like Field Sobriety Test training.

The DRE is considered court certified in most states, meaning that the trained and certified DRE officer is recognized by their jurisdiction’s court as a subject matter expert, much like an expert witness. The DRE's sworn testimony on the
It also takes time to administer such tests and most jurisdictions would only have a select few officers trained and certified as DREs.

In conclusion, although the DRE program is a very effective technique for law enforcement officers to detect the influence of drugs other than alcohol in order to prosecute impaired drivers and improve highway safety, the fact that the program can only be utilized in conjunction with forensics toxicology analysis, and costs police departments a substantial amount of money in manpower and training, makes the program less attractive to a lot of jurisdictions. The DRE serves as an effective tool to combat drug impaired drivers.

Saferstein, R. (2011). Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (10th ed.). Boston: Prentice