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1. Public K to 12 and now often pre K are danger zones, Similarly State Universities are very dangerous places for the naïve ingenuous or dis oriented young people. Do not talk to strangers young are taught. Remember those creepy goofy professors with their secure pay checks and tenure and lavish pensions are strangers often propagating strange noxious and poisonous ideas theories and concepts in 2o year cycles of deception and misinformation. That’s the fact.

2. Regarding officers being drug recognition experts and the claim that the eyes cannot be used to determine what drugs a person is using is not entirely true. Using the eyes, a persons pulse and respiration and possibly blood pressure, all taken in the field, can produce phenomenal results!I have been retired from California law enforcement for several years, 5, but prior to retirement I was trained as a drug recognition officer, trained by a DRE. The system used to determine the drug, or drugs, including alcohol and marijuana, that a person was using was in place at THAT time and was extremely reliable and accurate, As far as blood alcohol, the results obtained were as accurate as most machines or a blood draw. And the system was incredibly accurate for speed, heroin, cocaine and other common street drugs, borne out first by the roadside tests and backed up by admissions from the miscreant and validated by lab tests. And while the statement that officers in Michigan will be getting trained by other officers, the training is usually a DRE, officer or civilian, to other officers. To imply that this training will open the door to abuse is both sides is to imply that officers will be “crooked,” This is simply not true. The tests are simply a tool that allow and officer to make a determination, based on observations, as to what a person has ingested. I think the article is misleading at best, and erroneous at worst! Things may have changed since I retired but I would venture a guess that it’s for the better!

   1. grayfox114,
      What about prescription drugs? Is there not a significant portion of the population addicted to “legal” drugs? Are the tests the same? This is a serious problem in our country and I think there is a new focus on helping those who are enslaved. I do think that driving is more dangerous knowing that people are out there on such substances.

      Also, it sounds like you acted as a noble and honorable law enforcement officer your entire career. It is always good to get that perspective and I respect that.

      However, there are some out there who are not of such character. I had three experiences in the same night (pulled over because of a tail light out) where I was harassed and threatened by three separate police officers (in three separate counties). I was shocked at the treatment I received. At the time, I had three tiny sleeping babies with me and was headed to visit family. Frankly, I feared for my safety as one officer falsely accused me and insisted on pushing his agenda to intimidate me (until a State Patrol showed up to relieve him). Ultimately, he confessed that he had a quota to bring in a certain number of DWI that evening and I was an easy target.

      Take note, I have not had a drop of alcohol for years and I was polite and fully compliant; as I was taught to be, by a Sheriff, who is a close family friend. That experience was enough proof for me to realize that “things have changed.” To tell you the truth, it was a sad time for me as I have always had a deep respect and honor for those in uniform. I still do, despite this experience as I am not completely jaded.
      I do think it depends on the area of service as well and the leaders ultimately determine the ethical tone. I also am aware that our law enforcement officers seem to be underpaid and understaffed and they are facing dangers today that they had never had to face in years past. It is a reality though that some are painfully compromised. You and those who interacted with you are fortunate to have had an honorable experience.

      1. At the time of my trainng, prescription drugs were included in the tests, not necessarily by name but by classification: Opiods, etc. I wish I still had the documents that came with the training, but after retirement……………But the current drugs causing the crisis you reference would certainly be identifiable!

         Law enforcement has changed and is changing, had started when I was on the street, and the changes are not always good! There is a new breed on the street, strongly influenced by the “Get on the news” attitude and the reality shows on the tube!

         1. grayfox14,
            Interesting to hear that media has influenced the motives. Appreciate your response!

   2. I just got off the phone with my surgeon brother. He says there is no scientific basis.

      1. Most doctors aren’t trained in field expedient methods of drug recognition, instead, relying on tests available in hospitals. I have dealt with numerous doctors over the years, none were aware of the methods we used. I humbly bow to your surgeon brothers skills, but I also submit to you that he is totally mistaken!

         1. Not true. I’m an Emergency Medicine trained healthcare provider – NOT a toxicologist, but have 40+ hours toxicology training. My job requires relatively rapid identification of toxic ingestion to determine appropriate treatment. There is no consistently accurate, clinically useful way to determine what a person has taken OTHER than checking their metabolites, and even with that there are many false positives. Can a field expedient test determine if a person is inhibited? YES. Can it determine what they have taken? NO. Vital signs and physical exam may hint towards one class or another of toxic ingestion, but should not be relied upon (a significant amount of recreational ingestion is poly-pharmacologic anyway).

   3. We need to fire all the doctors and get all our medical care from cops,just watch the video of the medical treatment the accident victim on fire got in New Jersey. This could never be abused like the fake drug sniffing dogs or phony “chemical” tests. Isn’t this “practicing medicine without a licence” a felony-my bad cops can’t commit crimes(even when they steal,rape and murder or their favorite-false reports and perjury)

3. RE police drug or alcohol tests:

   The purpose of these is to provide the police with something they can use in court. Most depend on the officers judgement/guess and are easily used to fraudulently convict you. Of course law enforcement should get intoxicated drivers off the road. But if you are a senior citizen I can assure you that you won’t be able to pass the tests. Ask for a blood test and refuse the various observation tests. Don’t talk to them except to ask if you are free to go and to refuse the tests they prefer and ask for a legitimate test. If by chance you have had a few drinks and know you won’t pass the test refuse any and all tests and ask for a lawyers and shut up.

4. I had a person run into me and he was obviously stoned out of his mind.The cops looked at him and said he wasn’t.So much for the look at them method. When you have a cop with a drug dog he has most likely trained the dog to alert on a given signal by the handler.Civil forfeiture laws are horrible.I have gotten to the point where I feel sorry for anyone pulled over.
   At least in my state, the police don’t freak out when you tell them you have a gun after being asked.

5. It is just amazing to me how relatively unattractive these pedophile teachers are. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a man or a woman. Just sayin’.

6. I’m tired of the ‘police are trying to determine the motive’ comments associated with mass killings. There are only 2 choices: jihad or crazy. OK, maybe three: jihad and crazy. Accept it. Keep your head on a swivel and carry always.

   1. You forgot psychotropic prescriptions. Prozac black box warning”may cause suicidal or homicidal thoughts”,the drug tests are almost never released from the autopsies and are falsfied if they are.

7. Is this going to be the new normal, carrying a weapon to church just to protect yourself from the crazies. If so, my other choice is or would be sitting next the retired Secret Service agent or the retired U.S. Marshal ( Hmm, I should be so lucky, right ). But on the other hand, it is a known fact that during the AIM uprising in the Black Hills ( early 70’s ), more than one minister carried during funerals. Rumor has it that on had .45 and another had a .44. jsut saying

8. Reason #50XX to Leave Public School
   How about a little encouragement for us teachers who are teaching the real history, trying to teach moral values, and in the fray every day. I know the public school system stinks. I feel like a Maquis fighter against the Nazis. Give a shout out to those few who stick it out for the benefit of the next generation. I get to influence 120 every year. A little encouragement would go a long way!

   1. @Mark,
      As a former public school teacher, I understand where you are coming from. The issue is that you are fighting a losing battle. The system is rigged against you by design. The public school system is a descendant of the Prussian system (just like our “law enforcement” is) and as such is not designed to do anything other than make little obedient robots to the public whim. While there are teachers like you who do a good job and pour your heart into it, in the long run, it’s like pouring a cup of water into a river. Your work is soon lost and forgotten.
      In no other career that I know of is one success in 50 considered a good rate. In public school, we celebrate if we get a success rate that high.
      I wish I could give you better news than that, but the system is that way by design. The rural schools will usually lag the urban schools in the corruption and decay, but they will eventually get there. Just look at where your school is today compared to where it was 50 years ago. The decay is there in all public schools. We just profile some of the worst offenders.
      If you really want to stay in public school, you need to look at your job more as a missionary outreach.

9. I need to add to what grayfox wrote.

   I’m also retired LE. I worked in a town where various drugs became popular over time. Methamphetamine (which was called ‘crank’ in my community) had clear objective symptoms to show someone was under the influence. A resting pulse of over 130 ppm, for example (and taken a number of times over a 15-20 minute period, where someone who was simply nervous would have their pulse return to what is considered normal for a healthy adult, 60-90 ppm.) Their pupils would be extremely dilated, which we would measure. Their pupils would also not react to applied lighting, staying fixed with no or little response.

   Then there were our observations of their actions; picking at sores on their face. For a longtime user, missing teeth. They would have rapid speech, they would be bouncing on the balls of their feet, sweating on a cool evening…

   I could go on; many would also confess to use when confronted by a knowledgeable officer. They might have prior arrests for being under the influence. Often, you would discover they were concealing drugs on their body after they were arrested.

   But make no mistake; I let many people go who, although they might display many of the objective symptoms of meth influence, I might not be comfortable enough to make an arrest. Those I did arrest, and most would provide a urine sample, were always, without exception, proven to be under the influence.

   Those who use opiates such as heroin and prescription painkillers have objective symptoms all their own. As did PCP. As does alcohol.

   One last note: most of my arrests came from traffic stops, where the offender was driving. We weren’t randomly selecting someone walking down the street.

   While I made plenty of drug arrests, there were some officers who dedicated their entire careers to drug enforcement and were far more proficient than I in determining if someone was under the influence of a drug. One can be trained in what to look for…

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