He knows the signs of an impaired driver

Officer becomes 4th drug recognition expert for BPD

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BROOKINGS – Brookings Police Department Patrol Officer Michael Popp recently received certification as the BPD’s fourth drug recognition expert after extensive training and testing in Rapid City and Phoenix, Arizona.

The work of getting impaired drivers off roads is crucial in this town, which has large foot-traffic and continues to emphasize a bike-friendly culture. Their safety and the safety of other motorists are on officers’ minds, and being able to quickly and accurately recognize all the signs of impairment is critical.

And make no mistake, impaired driving is dangerous, no matter what you’re under the influence of, Popp said: “You’re driving a 1,500-3,500-pound land missile across the earth. You’re the microchip for that land missile; if you’re not calibrated correctly, you’re not going to be able to operate it and get to your destination safely.”

That’s where DRE certification comes in. Being a DRE means that an officer can recognize the physical signs of different categories of drugs at work on the human body.

“We’re not going to know what kind of specific drug you’re using,” Popp explained, “but we are going to definitely know what class of drug you’re using.”

It also means that if another officer is having difficulty determining what a motorist is under the influence of, he can assist.

Becoming a certified DRE is no easy feat, with less than 1 percent of law enforcement officers around the world attaining this certification. In order to even be considered for training, an officer must show they already have some experience, knowledge and the drive to earn the certification.

Popp applied late in 2017, and upon acceptance, he joined a class of 14 officers in the state who were also working to become DREs.

Neither Popp, the city of Brookings nor the police department had to pay to participate in this program, which is funded through grants. The only expenses were Popp’s standard hourly wages during training.

The DRE program occurs once a year in two phases: a classroom stage and a field test stage.

The classroom portion took place in Rapid City in January and consisted of 80 hours of training (and many tests) over two weeks.

“You learn about two drug categories and then you take a quiz, and you need no less than 80 percent on those quizzes to continue on with the course,” Popp explained. “Otherwise, they pack your bags and send you home.”

It’s good incentive to study, study, study. Even the comprehensive final exam stuck to the 80-percent-or-better standard.

Learning the seven drug categories is the key to becoming a DRE. The categories serve as a way of grouping drugs by the way they affect the human body – basically, by the side effects that characterize each group of drugs.

Different drugs might mean that an individual’s pupils are dilated or slow to react to light, blood pressure noticeably higher or lower than normal or muscles noticeably relaxed or tense.

After passing, Popp returned to Brookings with about a one-month break until it was off to Phoenix. While he waited, he even got to put his new training to use in a couple of traffic stops.

Instructors sent emails on a nearly daily basis during this break urging Popp and the other officers to continue to study the materials.

“You still got to make sure to cut out some time at the end of your day when you’re sitting at home with your family to go over all your course materials. It’d be a waste to go through the 80-hour course and then go to Phoenix and completely flop,” Popp said.

Held in February, the field certification portion had the South Dakota officers go to the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix to put their knowledge to the test with real-life subjects.

At the jail, they had to perform 12 drug influence evaluations, which is the process used to determine what category of drug or drugs an individual is under the influence of. They did this in two days, spending about 10-12 hours in the jail each day.

The jail in Phoenix is large enough that there’s never any worry about finding enough people willing to undergo a drug evaluation with the officers.

“You learn a lot about drug use, about how drugs affect people and their bodies and why they do what they do. They have no problems talking to you about their drug use or why they like to do it, how it makes them feel. It’s a very humbling, knowledgeable experience,” Popp said.

Instructors watch them give the drug influence evaluations, and they make the officers sweat a little, asking them at the end, “Are you sure that’s what you see? Are you sure there’s nothing more?”

Officers must again be correct at least 80 percent of the time, determined either by the evaluated person either undergoing toxicology screening or, if the person declines that, the judgment of the instructor and whether he agrees with the officer’s call.

Then came the final test, which covered everything. This test was pass or fail and could take anywhere between four to eight hours to complete. Popp finished it in about 4 1/2 hours.

That’s not bad for the man who said he’s never been much of a test-taker.

But “when it’s a subject matter that you take very seriously and you have a passion for, it wasn’t horribly hard to put in the extra elbow grease in to get through it all,” he said.

As hard as he’s worked to earn his DRE status, this isn’t the end. That’s because DREs must maintain their certification by performing four drug influence evaluations every two years.

Regardless of the work it has required, it’s been worth it for a safer Brookings.

“Brookings is a safe community because of the people we employ through the Brookings Police Department, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office and University Police Department and the Highway Patrol,” Popp said. “All of the agencies in this area are very dedicated, and we have very knowledgeable people. We’re very fortunate in this area because we have so many agencies in one little tight spot.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.

BPD photo: Officer Michael Popp is now a certified drug recognition expert, following extensive training that took him to Rapid City and Phoenix, Arizona. This certification helps him to identify signs of impairment due to drug use and has already come in handy during his patrols. He is now the fourth DRE at the Brookings Police Department.