Sunday, November 15, 2009

Cops drawing blood in DUI fight

Coming soon to a roadside near you: Cops with needles. What sounds like an ad for a cheap summer horror movie is actually the latest tool in the battle against drunk drivers.

As part of a federal pilot program to reduce drunk driving and lower refusal rates for breath tests, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a pilot program to train select officers in certain states in in proper methods for drawing blood from DUI suspects.

The goal of the federal is to determine if blood draws by police can be an effective tool in prosecuting drunk drivers, in addition to lowering refusal rates for breath tests. Recently, a group of officers in Idaho and Texas became medically certified phlebotomists as part of the program.
If the program is successful over the next year or so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will encourage police nationwide to undergo similar training.



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