The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Office on Highway Safety is working with the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety Municipal Police Training Academy to offer the media a glimpse inside what happens when a drug or alcohol impaired driver gets pulled over by a police officer in Rhode Island.
As part of Advanced Roadside Impaired Driver Enforcement Training, the Municipal Police Academy will host a "Wet Lab" on Thursday, August 18 at the Providence Police Academy, 200 Chad Brown Street in Providence. Media are encouraged to attend the lab between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
A "Wet Lab" is a monitored drinking period where volunteers consume alcoholic beverages and then participate in a series of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests conducted by trained police personnel. These tests include Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), walk and turn, one legged stand, and an eye test that involves involuntary jerking of the pupils caused by alcohol intoxication.
During the training, officers will also be learning how to detect whether or not a motorist is under the influence of drugs other than alcohol through the Drug Recognition Expert program. The idea is to show the general public what they would experience should they decide to drink or do drugs, drive, and then get pulled over.
This training and the new national slogan Rhode Island is adopting, "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over," coincides with an increased enforcement period from August 19 through Labor Day. This was recently announced by the Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Contact: Heidi Gudmundson (401) 222-1362 x. 4009