bkreitzer@lewistownsentinel.com
LEWISTOWN – “Have you had anything to drink?” was a phrase heard often during the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing training held at the Rec Park Community Center this week. Law enforcement officers from departments across Mifflin County received instruction in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing during a three-day training course. The objective of the course was to teach officers how to detect impaired drivers, recognize signs of impairment, and determine whether or not an arrest would be made in similar real-life scenarios.
Part of the training involved volunteers which were given controlled amounts of alcohol so students could simulate a traffic stop and administer a field sobriety test. Volunteers were given measured doses of alcoholic beverages in a controlled environment to obtain a breath alcohol concentration between 0.08% and 0.12%. Then, officers taking the course, administer a series of tests to determine if the subjects are impaired. The three main tests administered to a person believed to be driving under the influence are horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), the walk-and-turn, and the one-leg stand test. According to the Lewistown Police Department these tests have been scientifically validated and utilized by law enforcement to identify impaired drivers for over forty years.