The Glenwood Springs Police Department and students from the Glenwood Springs High School teamed up on a new program that can lead to a safer community and cleaner waterways and drinking water. On April 22, 2010 (Earth Day) the Police Department unveiled a new metal container, located just outside the front doors of the PD, where citizens can dispose of unused and expired prescription medication. P2D2 stand for Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal.

Here is how the program works: Citizens can bring in their expired or unused prescription medications and dispose of them in the metal container. All the items in the container are then collected and properly destroyed. Citizens who bring in their medications can do so anonymously without any contact with law enforcement officials.

So why is the program important? Discarded medication is getting past our local waste water treatment plants and getting into our drinking water supplies. In 2002, scientists with the US Geological Survey conducted a study of over 130 rivers, streams and other waterways in the U. S. and found the following pharmaceuticals in over 80% of those tested: Antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control, seizure medication, cancer treatments, pain killers, tranquilizers and cholesterol-lowering compounds.

The City of Glenwood Springs is the first municipality in Colorado to launch a drug disposal program where all controlled and non-controlled substances can be accepted.

In Avon, Colorado, former police chief Brian Kozak taught parents how to recognize the symptoms of possible alcohol and drug use in their children. A certified drug recognition expert instructor, Chief Kozak has performed more than 5,000 drug evaluations and testified as an expert before the Arizona Supreme Court.

The class was free and designed to teach parents how to recognize signs and symptoms of drug influence associated with the following seven drug categories that are commonly abused by teenagers in America: CNS Depressants (Soma, Valium, Diazepam, Alcohol); CNS Stimulants (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Ritalin); Hallucinogens (LSD, Mushrooms, Ecstasy); Dissociative Anesthetics (PCP, DXM “Robo”); Narcotic Analgesics (Heroin, Oxy, Demerol); Inhalants (Whippets, Nitrous Oxide, Gas, Glue, Paint); and Cannabis (Marijuana, Hash).

In many states, DREs assigned to patrol duties frequently use their training and skills in highway drug interdictions and related criminal investigations. A DRE’s ability to recognize evidence of drug abuse and use helps to establish probable cause for searches that can lead to drug seizures and criminal arrests. In 2002, Oregon DREs conducted 1,245 evaluations on suspected drug-impaired drivers. Seventeen percent of those drivers were also charged with possession of drugs when drugs were located on their person or in their vehicle.

Because of the tendency of drug-impaired drivers to transport and possess illegal drugs, many DREs work closely with their local drug enforcement teams. DREs frequently supply drug enforcement officers with information that helps in major drug investigations.

Two excellent examples of this partnership occurred in southern Oregon. In one case, a local city police officer stopped a driver for driving the wrong way on a one-way street and determined the driver to be under the influence. After obtaining a .00 percent alcohol breath test, the officer asked a state police DRE to conduct a drug evaluation. The DRE determined that the driver was under the influence of cannabis (marijuana) and a hallucinogen. A post-arrest search of the vehicle revealed a small baggy of psilocybin mushrooms.

As part of the evaluation process, the DRE questioned the suspect about his drug use and the drugs located in his vehicle. Based upon the admissions of the suspect, the DRE contacted a local drug enforcement team member who continued the investigation. The detective obtained enough information to obtain a search warrant for a suspected illegal mushroom growing operation in the area. The search warrant resulted in the arrest of two people and the recovery of 63 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, which is believed to be the largest illegal mushroom growing operation ever discovered in Oregon.

But the investigation did not end in Oregon. Investigators determined that the majority of the illegal mushrooms were being shipped to China for sale and distribution. With the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the investigation resulted in 21 search warrants, 11 arrests, and the recovery of 68 additional pounds of psilocybin mushrooms as well as LSD and bufotenine, a hallucinogen. Investigators also seized $22,000 in cash and five parcels of real estate. This major case was made possible by a drug-impaired driving arrest and a DRE who was working in partnership with local drug enforcement officers.

In an effort to enhance the working partnerships between DREs and local, state, and federal drug investigators, the Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) office sponsored and funded an Oregon DRE school in 2002. DREs trained in the HIDTA-funded school routinely furnish drug evaluation reports to the their local drug teams for follow-up investigations.

This is a practice that has been ongoing in many other states for years. As an example, DREs work closely with narcotic team detectives in California, which has an internal drug possession law. In Livermore, California, about 15 DREs frequently are called upon to assist with knockand- talk investigations and with the service of drug search warrants. DREs frequently contact people suspected of internal possession and being under the influence. Searches incident to arrest often lead to evidence that assist in conducting the knock-and-talks and obtaining search warrants. Once the search warrant is conducted, DREs help identify drug-impaired suspects while the narcotic team detectives focus on other areas of the investigation.

In the state of Washington, DREs help combat criminal behavior on state and interstate highways while assigned to the Washington State Patrol’s Serious Highway Crime Action Team (SHCAT). In a recent case, a SHCAT member stopped a vehicle for speeding and during the contact noted drug-impairment evidence. The driver was subsequently arrested for DWI and a search incident to arrest revealed both marijuana and methamphetamine. A passenger in the vehicle was in possession of methamphetamine. Officers obtained a search warrant locating additional methamphetamine, approximately 30 grams of marijuana, and various chemicals used in the production and distribution of methamphetamine.

In some state departments of transportation (DOT), enforcement members are trained as DREs. This training recently paid off in Iowa, where a DOT-trained DRE stopped a semi truck and noted signs of drug impairment in the driver. A search resulted in the seizure of 12 duffel bags of marijuana. The DEA continued the investigation and arrested three additional persons in Detroit, Michigan, who were linked to the crime.

DREs also work in partnership with DOT commercial vehicle inspectors in Operation Trucker Check projects. The DREs conduct inspections of the commercial vehicle drivers as they enter checkpoints and the vehicle inspectors conduct inspections of the tractor and trailer. During these inspections officers have identified fatigued or impaired drivers and detected equipment, licensing, and logbook violations.

In September 2002 a combined trucker check operation involving DREs and commercial vehicle inspectors from California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia inspected trucks and their drivers during a 48-hour period. Participating agencies included the Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Enforcement Section, the Washington State Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section. The California Highway Patrol’s Motor Carrier Enforcement Division also participated using a statewide inspection effort during the same period.

Officers inspected 3,609 commercial vehicles (tractor-trailers and single-unit trucks) and their drivers during the operation. They declared 918 vehicles and 292 drivers out of service for various violations and issued 2,055 citations, mostly for equipment, logbook, and excessive-hours violations. Six drivers were charged with driving under the influence of drugs. One driver arrested in Oregon was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine and marijuana), open container of alcohol, and possession of an illegal weapon after DREs found a radar detector, an open container of alcohol, and two concealed weapons (a modified saw-off shotgun and weighted leather sap.

DREs throughout the country are also working closely with their local schools and school districts to deter drug use and abuse in the schools. Many DREs are now training school administrators, teachers, and nurses to identify drug abuse and impairment through the Drug Information Training for Education Professionals (DITEP) program. This training has helped build a solid partnership between law enforcement and schools aimed at reducing drug abuse and related crime in the schools.

The scope of the DRE and the Drug Evaluation Classification Program has expanded greatly since its inception in the 1970s. The improvements and advancement of the program can be directly attributed to the many professionals involved in the program, from the administration at IACP to the technical and financial support at NHTSA to the DREs working the streets. Because of this dedication and support, the DRE program has quickly become a valuable resource for public safety and the communities we serve.

To learn more about DITEP or the DRE program in your area, contact  Joe Abrusci, IACP DEC Program Eastern Project Manager (703-647-7258); Jim Maisano, IACP DEC Program Central Project Manager (703-647-7257); or Robert Hayes, IACP DEC Program Western Project Manager (703-647-7374).