Sevierville Police Department Officer Graduates from Drug Recognition Expert School

Publicado el 05/03/18.

Sevierville Police Department Officer Justin Armstrong recently graduated from Drug Recognition Expert school. A drug recognition expert (DRE) is a police officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.

Officers trained as DREs are frequently called upon to differentiate between drug influence and medical and/or mental disorders. Their highly-specialized training provides an extremely valuable tool for combating the adverse impact of drug and alcohol impaired driving in our communities.

“The DRE training is very demanding and graduating is quite an accomplishment,” said SPD Captain Matt Ayers. “Officer Armstrong is a tremendous asset to our department and community in our efforts to combat impaired driving.” Officer Armstrong is the agency’s first DRE, and one of only a few in our county.

 

DRE training is part of an international program managed and coordinated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) administers the program within the state.

For more information, visit https://tntrafficsafety.org/dre-program.