I am a former Officer-in-Charge of the Los Angeles Police Department's Drug Recognition Expert Unit. I have been accepted as an expert in alcohol and drug influence issues by courts in 21 states. I am an advocate for the DRE approach to impaired driving. This blog will explore the history of the DRE program, recognizing those who contributed to its development. I will also comment on issues of current interest to DRE's. Visit my web site at: www.drugrecognitionexpert.com. Thomas "Tom" Page
Thursday, October 8, 2009
New York Times covers DRE in 1989
On September 25, 1989 the New York Times published an article about the growing problem of drugged-driving. The article included a discussion about the merits of the Drug Recognition Expert program. The graphic for the article showed LAPD Motor Officer and DRE Instructor Ray Messerly as he conducted a pupil size examination on me. Officer Steve Davey of the Glendale, CA, PD is to my right. Ray Messerly, who was my LAPD academy classmate, was killed in an on-duty traffic crash on October 22, 1992. Ray's picture is included in the "Roll Call" which takes place at the annual DRE conference.
Scary picture (too much coffee?), but I do love the blog! We can't make much progress unless we understand where we've been. Great idea Tom. Thanks for taking the time to share this history.
ReplyDeleteStephen Talpins