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Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) School

Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/10/2023 - 04/21/2023
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Location
Baltimore County Police

Categories No Categories

This training relies heavily on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which provide the foundation for the DRE Program. Once trained and certified, DREs become highly effective officers skilled in the detection and identification of persons impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. DREs are trained to conduct a systematic and standardized 12-step evaluation consisting of physical, mental, and medical components.

The training program is for those officers who have an extreme interest in the area of alcohol and drug-impaired driving. The school is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and hosted by the Traffic Training Team.

Training is broken into three phases: classroom, certification, and final knowledge exam. The classroom phase consists of 10 days of classroom training, all of which is mandatory. The certification phase immediately follows the classroom training. Certification training is scheduled over a 4 day period in Philadelphia, PA. Students should expect to attend two consecutive days of certification training during this time.  The two days will be either Monday and Tuesday or Wednesday and Thursday of that week. The final knowledge exam is an all-encompassing exam, and attendance is mandatory in order to be certified as a DRE.

Officers interested should be willing to dedicate a large amount of their time during the classroom and certification phases. Seating is limited, and officers interested should request to attend through their training coordinators.  An application will then be forwarded to them from the Agency DRE Coordinator.

Topics include:

  • The involvement of drugs in impaired driving incidents
  • The seven drug categories and their effects
  • How to administer the psychophysical and physiological evaluations used in the drug evaluation and classification procedures
  • Preparing a narrative drug influence evaluation report
  • Procedures for testifying in typical drug evaluation and classification cases
  • Injuries or illnesses that produce similar signs to alcohol/drug impairment
  • Effects of polydrug use
  • Drug use and the human body


Prerequisite: Successful completion of SFST School and approval by commanding officer.

What should I bring and wear?

Students must bring note-taking materials.

Attire is professional casual

Dates, Times, and Location:

Please pay special attention to the dates and times listed below.

Dates/Times:

Classroom Phase: April 10 – 21 2023

Certification Phase: April 24-27, 2023

Final Knowledge Exam: May 11, 2023

Location:  

Baltimore County Police Department
Training Section
7200 Sollers Point Road
Dundalk, MD 21222

Registration

To register please contact your respective DRE Agency Coordinator. Along with registering through their coordinator, interested students must download, complete, and email a DRE Training Application to tmorehouse@baltimorecountymd.gov. For additional registration information, please visit the Traffic Training Team site HERE.

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Maryland Department of Health – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information

https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/Pages/Novel-coronavirus.aspx