Standardized Field Sobriety Testing

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The course requires (24) hours of instruction which includes training in legal aspects, court decisions surrounding pre-arrest screening, techniques used to conduct field sobriety testing, and practical application of the techniques. Topics covered will included Illinois Vehicle Code laws, Court decisions regarding Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, and detection of drinking drivers. The goals of this course are to train students in the proper techniques used to conduct field sobriety testing, and to train the students to recognize and explain the clues exhibited by impaired drivers. The testing of individuals suspected of violating the law involving operation of a vehicle while under the influence of drugs and alcohol has been standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This course is an end result of years of studies and practical testing involving scientists and police officers throughout the country. The perfecting of techniques used in this pre-arrest screening is ongoing, and officers should be updated annually.