Alex Berger Completes Advanced ARIDE Training in Impaired-Driving Investigations

When a law enforcement officer suspects that a driver is under the influence of drugs, the officer may rely on a wide range of observations, roadside evaluations, and physical or behavioral signs when deciding whether to make an arrest. Berger Law attorney Alex Berger has completed an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement training course. Commonly known as ARIDE, this program is based on curriculum developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and focuses on how law enforcement officers are trained to investigate drivers suspected of drug impairment.

The course was offered by Impaired Driving Specialists and was restricted to legal professionals. Significantly, the participants received instruction in the same ARIDE curriculum used to train law enforcement officers. By completing this program, Alex gained additional insight into the specific procedures officers are expected to follow, the observations they are trained to make, and the conclusions they may attempt to draw during drug-related OWI investigations.

What Is ARIDE Training?

ARIDE stands for Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement. Essentially, the program builds upon the concepts taught in the NHTSA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing course. Successful completion of the NHTSA SFST student training program is a prerequisite for attending the ARIDE course, which means that participants are expected to already have a working understanding of standardized field sobriety testing before beginning this more advanced instruction.

Traditional field sobriety testing is most commonly associated with drivers who are suspected of alcohol impairment. ARIDE, however, expands the investigation to include drugs. The course teaches participants how law enforcement officers are trained to recognize certain signs and symptoms that they may associate with different categories of drugs, as well as how those observations may be used during a roadside investigation.

The training also addresses several evaluations and observations that may be used when an officer suspects drug impairment, including the following:

• The Modified Romberg Balance test
• The Lack of Convergence test
• The Finger-to-Nose test
• Observations involving pupil size
• Different forms of nystagmus
• Other physical or behavioral signs that officers may associate with drug impairment

That being said, ARIDE is not the same as Drug Recognition Expert training. Rather, it is an intermediate-level program intended to help officers identify possible signs of drug impairment during a traffic stop and determine whether additional investigation may be warranted. This distinction is important, as the level of training an officer has received may affect the types of evaluations the officer performs and the conclusions he or she is qualified to make.

Why Does This Training Matter to an OWI Defense Attorney?

When an officer claims that a driver displayed signs of drug impairment, the officer’s interpretation of what occurred should not automatically be accepted as correct. Roadside evaluations can be affected by several things, including the way the officer explained the instructions, whether the established procedures were followed, the physical conditions at the scene, and whether there are other reasonable explanations for the driver’s appearance, movements, or behavior.

By studying the same curriculum used to train law enforcement officers, Alex can more closely examine whether an OWI investigation was conducted in accordance with the procedures the officer was taught to follow. This knowledge may prove useful when reviewing police reports, body-camera footage, roadside evaluations, officer testimony, and any other evidence the prosecution may use to argue that a driver was impaired.

Furthermore, this training can help identify several important questions that may otherwise go unanswered, such as:

• Was the sample collected and preserved properly?
• Was the analytical method appropriate for the substance being tested?
• Was the laboratory instrument calibrated and operating correctly?
• Were accepted quality-control procedures followed?
• Does the underlying data support the conclusion stated in the report?
• Could contamination, interference, or another error have affected the result?
• Does the presence of a substance establish impairment at the relevant time?

Alex’s completion of ARIDE training reflects Berger Law’s continuing commitment to developing a detailed understanding of impaired-driving investigations. Effective OWI defense requires more than simply knowing the laws that apply to the charge. It also requires an understanding of the testing procedures, scientific principles, and investigative methods used by law enforcement to build its case against the accused.

Berger Law continues to pursue advanced training so its attorneys can carefully examine the government’s evidence, ask informed and meaningful questions, and prepare every available defense on behalf of its clients. When a person’s freedom, driving privileges, and future may depend on how an officer interpreted a roadside investigation, understanding exactly what that officer was trained to do can be critically important.