Police Officers Undergo Training to Take Blood Samples for DUI Cases

A select group of police officers in Idaho and Texas are being trained to draw blood from people who are suspected of driving under the influence.  The training is part of a federal program aimed at determining whether or not police officers can use blood samples as a tool for prosecuting DUI cases.

If the program appears to be effective after a couple of years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to encourage police departments throughout the country to undergo similar training.

Christine Starr, Deputy Prosecutor in Ada County, Idaho, said she hopes the program will help to reduce the amount of DUI trials.  Under the current law, police officers cannot force a suspected driver to submit to a breath test, but they can forcibly take a blood sample.

While the latter practice may seem harsh, it has been upheld by both the Idaho Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police could force a blood test without a warrant as long as there was reasonable cause to believe the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. 

The Supreme Court's ruling also states that police officers must first place the driver under arrest, and then carry out the test in a medically approved manner.

The practice of drawing blood to determine a person's blood alcohol concentration first began in 1995 in Arizona.  Since then, many police jurisdictions throughout the country have taken up the practice.

For more information about the blood alcohol testing laws in your state, click here to find a DUI attorney near you.