It's not everyday that law enforcement asks you to get drunk. But volunteers are drinking up to help recruits learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of DUI's.Â
Rather than being told what a drunk person looks like, this part of the police academy shows future officers what to look for. And while it's easy to know when someone is really drunk, recruits are getting training to catch the drivers who are harder to detect.Â
Jeff McCaskill with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office said, "To give the new recruits an opportunity to seek what an inebriated person looks like, those right on the verge of .08, maybe a little bit higher, maybe even a little bit lower. So that they can make those very critical determinations whether or not they're going to make an arrest."
Volunteers show up and drink for a couple hours. Police take measurements of their weight and height to base how much each volunteer can drink. After two hours, each person takes a breathalyzer test and their results are marked down by the supervisor. The trainees have to figure out how drunk each volunteer is.Â
The alcohol used to get volunteers inebriated is from investigations where it has been confiscated. And instead of destroying it, it's donate to the program, at no cost to the taxpayer.Â
When the drinks stop flowing though, the willing test subjects go through a series of simulations for rookies to get a hands-on experience.
Connie Koehler, a volunteer said, "It's for a good program and it goes towards a good cause in helping train deputies to be able to do their jobs better and fix the problem of drunk driving."
Looking at signs such as slurred speech and difficulty multi-tasking, the rookies conduct the balance test, the walk and turn test, and the eye test.
"It's imperative that the recruits learn these skills. Based upon the recent history with DUI drivers in the area and the fatal accidents that we have had, it's great to give this training for the recruits so they can identify the drunk drivers on the road before it's too late," said McCaskill.Â
There is no real consequence for volunteers who can't walk the straight line and end up failing the sobriety test here, but officers say in real life if someone were to be charged with a DUI, they could face jail time.
If a driver refuses to take the test, their license is automatically suspended. When the driver goes to court, the officer who pulled them over will tell the jury the sobriety test results and say they refused the breathalyzer. Then it is up to the jury whether or not the driver is charged with DUI.
