Symposium on Traffic Safety
June 13-16, 2022

DUI/Traffic Enforcement

• 2022 Impaired Driving Curriculum Updates (Kyle Clark)

  Tue. 1 p.m.  |  Wed. 3:15 p.m. 

  - Kyle Clark, National Project Manager of the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program, IACP

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police strive to ensure impaired driving enforcement training contains the most up-to-date information and tactics to enhance traffic safety. Kyle Clark will provide you with the significant changes made in the 2022 SFST, ARIDE, and DRE curricula, along with some of the basis for these changes and how you can make recommendations for future revisions.

• Boat Ramp BUI Enforcement Basics: Preventing a BUI from becoming a DUI (Daniel Darren)

  Mon. 1 p.m.  |  Tue. 3:15 p.m.

  - Corporal Daniel Darren, Collier County (FL) Sheriff's Office

  Learn with the basics to conduct BUI investigations dock side. With smaller water patrol numbers and unit sizes, the chances of boaters making it back to the dock undetected are growing. The goal is to enable the basic DUI officer to stop, investigate and apprehend the BUI violator before they drive away from the ramp. We’ll discuss case law surrounding vessel inspections, U.S.C.G. required items on vessels, and the three detection phases of BUI Enforcement.

• CMV DUI and Traffic Enforcement for Patrol Officers (Melinda Hanton)

  Tue. 10:15 a.m. |  Tue. 3:15 p.m. 

  - Melinda Hanton, FTO/DRE Instructor, Palm Beach Gardens (FL) Police Department

  Join Melinda Hanton for an overview for non-commercial motor vehicle enforcement officers across all 50 states. She’ll discuss misconceptions of commercial motor vehicle enforcement, sleep deprivation vs DUI on CMV, and DUIs impact on driver’s licenses. She’ll share CMV statistics, review case law, and explore CMV traffic stops from start to finish.

• DRE Field Certification Evaluations

  - Florida Drug Recognition Experts

  Certified Florida DREs can take advantage of this session to perform evaluations in front an instructor for recertification and complete the proper paperwork or turn in recertification forms. In addition, veteran DRE instructors will be available to answer your questions.

• How Education and Enforcement Go Hand-in-Hand: Messaging Before and After You Hit the Streets (Coleen Haines)

  Tue. 1 p.m.  |  Wed. 10:15 a.m.

  - Coleen Haines, CEO, Your Town Media Training (Kingman, AZ)

  New technology provides you with new ways to effectively reach your target audience. Coleen Haines will review real world and research-driven statistics regarding the best messaging practices for specific audiences. She’ll explain how to educate your audience, determine if your advertising is driving compliance, and share which platforms provide the best results. Hands-on exercises will provide examples of the best ways to use specific platforms.

• How Do You Know? Decision-Making in Police Work (Tom Heller)

  Tue. 8 a.m.  |  Tue. 1 p.m.

  - Detective Tom Heller, Seattle (WA) Police Department

  Perception and cognition are the gateways to understanding the world around us. Tom Heller will explain they work, and how to avoid pitfalls, and how to use the strengths of these processes to impact better decision-making. He’ll explore mental shortcuts, cognitive biases and logical fallacies, attention and memory, anomaly detection and categorization, and the impact of drugs, hormones, neurotransmitters and cognition.

• Impaired Driving Enforcement: Staying in YOUR Lane (John Cullen)

  Mon. 1 p.m.  |  Tue. 8 a.m.

   - Detective John Cullen, Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff's Office

  In this session, Detective Cullen will review the elements of DUI investigation from vehicle in motion and personal contact, to pre-arrest screening. He’ll share tips for documentation, effective use of video recordings, report writing, and best practices for presentation and testimony in DUI cases. You’ll review the role of each officer (SFST, ARIDE, or DRE trained) in the investigation and how these roles might conflict with the prosecution, defense and judge.

• Safe and Legal Traffic Stops (Mark Eastty, Michael Paniagua)

  Wed. 3:15 p.m.   | Thur. 10:15 a.m.

  - Sergeant Mark Eastty and Captain Michael Paniagua, Pinellas County (FL) Sheriff's Office

  This session will cover the highlights of the new and improved IPTM Safe and Legal Traffic Stops course (an 8 hour in-person class, or available online). This updated course will cover professionalism, legal updates, officer safety and improved tactics, how to reduce complaints, as well as teaching the officer how to interact with and avoid misunderstandings related to racial and cultural differences.

• Taking Your Impaired Driving Cases to a HIGHer Level: Making Stronger Cases (Joe Abrusci, Jim Maisano)

  Tue. 10:15 a.m.  

   - Joe Abrusci and Jim Maisano, Project Managers, IACP

  Statistics show an increased number of drivers who are driving under the influence of drugs, including drugs used in combination with alcohol and the marked increases of DUI Cannabis cases from marijuana legalization. Joe Abrusci and Jim Maisano will review the importance of proper SFST administration and interpretation, as well as how to further enhance your DUI cases through additional training in the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) programs. They will also discuss the benefits of involving DREs in your impaired driving cases and provide the basic steps to become a DRE.

• The Usefulness of DREs in Commercial Vehicle Enforcement/Operation Trucker Check (Griffin, Howell, Plummer)

  Wed. 8 a.m.  |  Wed. 1 p.m.

  - Sergeant Shannon Griffin, Georgia Public Safety Training Center
  - Officer Chance Howell, Georgia Public Safety Training Center
  - Tim Plummer, Oregon State Police, DEC State Coordinator

  Operators of our roadway’s largest vehicles, commercial motor vehicles, should be the safest in the nation. Unfortunately, many chose to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. This session will provide information on Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) or Motor Carrier Compliance (MCC) operations designed specifically to target these drivers. Both Oregon and Georgia have developed enforcement activities to work to ensure that drivers of commercial vehicles are not operating while impaired. Though the goal and results are the same, each state performs these operations in a different manner. The training will provide information on location selection, collection of data, funding and other resources to make similar operations in your state a success. Attendees will be provided with some “best practices” for use of DREs in the CMV setting and will learn common trends among CMV drivers.

Florida Updates

• Florida DUI Case Law Update (Ben Fox)

  Wed. 10:15 a.m.  |  Wed. 1 p.m.

  - Ben Fox, Asst. Misdemeanor Division Chief, Training Attorney, Brevard County (FL) State Attorney's Office, 18th Circuit

  Ben Fox will give you a comprehensive update on the past two years of DUI case law in Florida and what you need to know as a law enforcement officer. He’ll explore Florida's appellate court decisions and how they impact the actions law enforcement can – and cannot – take in their DUI investigations. Topics include traffic stops, Miranda, accident (crash) report privilege, corpus delicti, legal medical blood draws, and the applicability of search warrants relating to such blood draws.

• Florida Legislative Update (Garett Berman)

  Tue. 3:15 p.m.  |  Wed. 8 a.m.

  - Garett M. Berman, Esq., Executive Director, Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association

  Join Garett Berman for a detailed discussion of the new traffic laws passed during Florida’s recent legislative session and provide an update on the ones that did not pass.

• Florida's Impaired Driving Program and Subgrants (Ernie Bradley)

  Tue. 10:15 a.m.  |  Thur. 8 a.m.

  - Ernie Bradley, Traffic Safety Program Manager, Florida Department of Transportation

  This session will provide information on the FDOT State Safety Office’s (SSO) Impaired Driving High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) Overtime Subgrant process. Officers will get an overview of the Subgrant development process, from application to the end of a funding cycle. This process is the same for all traffic safety program areas funded by the SSO. Then a more detailed overview of the Impaired Driving HVE Subgrant will be provided, including enforcement requirements, information on the types of items allowable for purchase with Impaired Driving funds, and examples of previously awarded Impaired Driving HVE Subgrants. This session will provide officers with the information on additional funding that can be used to assist their agency in addressing traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

• Florida's Medical Marijuana Program and Office of Medical Marijuana Use (Carmen Dixon)

  Tue. 3:15 p.m.  |  Thur. 10:15 a.m.

  - Carmon Dixon, Training and Education Liaison, Florida Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use

  The Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) is statutorily charged with implementing a statewide cannabis and marijuana education campaign to publicize accurate information regarding the legal, healthy and safe use of medical marijuana Carmon Dixon will provide you with an in-depth overview of Florida’s Medical Marijuana Program, the Office of Medical Marijuana Use, Florida’s Medical Marijuana Program, Treatment Centers, Certified Testing Labs, registry and identification cards. You’ll learn about the OMMU and law enforcement, and the legal use of medical marijuana.

Investigation/Testimony

• Cannabinoids and Driving: CBD, Delta-8, Delta-9, and Delta-10 THC (Nicholas Tiscione)

  Wed. 3:15 p.m.  |  Thur. 8 a.m.

  - Nicholas Tiscione, Toxicology Unit Manager, Palm Beach County (FL) Sheriff's Office

  Cannabinoids are the most frequently identified drug category in drug-impaired driving investigations in most jurisdictions across the United States, often in combination with other impairing drugs. Delta-9-THC is the main psychoactive component in cannabis, however recently other very similar cannabinoids have been marketed and identified in vape oils and extracts, including Delta-8 and Delta-10-THC. Nicolas Tiscione will present the basic toxicology aspects of cannabinoids as they relate to drug-impaired driving, including their impairing effects on human performance and driving and laboratory testing challenges.

• Courtroom Testimony for DREs (Ashley Schluck)

  Tue. 1 p.m.  |  Tue. 3:15 p.m.

  - Ashley Schluck, Asst. State Attorney, City of Laramie (WY)

  How many times have you gone to the courthouse expecting to see a prosecutor before your DRE hearing and were told in the hallway outside of the courtroom "I only have 5 minutes, tell me what I need to know."? ASA Ashley Schuck will provide DREs with tools to educate and assist prosecutors to respond to DRE issues in whatever amount of time their schedules allow. She’ll discuss the necessary information both the prosecutor and the DRE need to know before they go to court, and how the DRE can take the lead to help one another be successful in the prosecution of DUI-D cases. Lastly, she’ll provide methods for DREs and prosecutors to communicate with one another in organizing and preparing their DUID-D cases - even when time is short, and the judge is waiting.

• Death Notifications in Fatal Crash Investigations (Kristen Allen)

  Wed. 10:15 a.m.  |  Wed. 3:15 p.m.

  - Kristen Allen, Mothers Against Drunk Driving

  Learn timely information to assist you with the challenges associated with notifying family members of the death of a loved one involved in a traffic crash. MADD’s Kristen Allen will share best practices for handling notifications to give support to victim's families. She’ll explore enhanced awareness of the emotional hazards of crisis work, essential needs of the bereaved, and strategies for delivering a compassionate and thorough death notification. The information will be beneficial for most death notification situations.

• Defense Perspective for the Patrol Officer (Matt Olszewski)

  Wed. 8 a.m. |  Wed. 10:15 a.m.

  - Matthew Olszewski, Esq. Florida DUI Group

  Matthew Olszewski will give you an inside look at to what a defense attorney looks for when reading a police report, watching a video and preparing for a Motion to Suppress and Trial. He’ll teach you how to write better reports, make better videos, and testify better in front of Judges and juries.

• Forensic Toxicology: Bringing Out the Nerd in You (Amy Miles)

  Mon. 1 p.m. |  Mon. 3:15 p.m.

   - Amy Miles, Toxicology Section Supervisor, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Join Amy Miles as she explains the preliminary information you can learn from a toxicology report when the listed drugs are not the active parent when you observed impairment. She’ll discuss some of the differences between active and inactive metabolites, various precursors and derivatives, and the report as it relates to drug ingestion and metabolism.

• Getting More with Honey (Joseph Farley, Anthony Palese)

  Mon. 3:15 p.m.  |  Thur. 8 a.m.

  - Trooper Joseph Farley and Sergeant Anthony Palese, Florida Highway Patrol

  A law enforcement officer's interpersonal skills are vital for successful cooperation. In this session, Trooper Farley and Sergeant Palese will outline several techniques used to encourage cooperation during DUI investigations. The skills obtained through this course may better equip you for successful cooperation and later, prosecution. You’ll learn posturing and what it means for your investigation; techniques used to encourage cooperation; how to overcome a difficult investigation; and selling the best version of yourself for successful prosecution.

• Hallucinogen Highway (Joseph Farley, Anthony Palese)

  Wed. 1 p.m.  |  Thur. 10:15 a.m. 

  - Trooper Joseph Farley and Sergeant Anthony Palese, Florida Highway Patrol

  Join Trooper Farley and Sergeant Palese as they explore hallucinogens - their history, usage recreationally and medicinally, Rave culture, and paraphernalia. They’ll provide you with a review of indicators and symptoms associated with hallucinogen impairment.

• Intoxication vs. Impairment: The Anatomy and Physiology of the Impaired Driver (Kevin Burke)

  Mon. 3:15 p.m.  |  Tue. 8 a.m.

  - Deputy Sheriff Kevin Burke, Racine County (WI) Sheriff's Office

  A criminal justice education does not adequately prepare us in the areas of anatomy, physiology, psychology, human kinetics and pharmacology – critical in detecting, arresting and convicting impaired drivers. Instead, we must rely primarily on Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. This session will help you understand how drugs cause physiological changes, which are manifested anatomical structures and behavior. Kevin Burke will discuss the importance of drugs and how they relate to impaired driving; the difference between intoxication and impairment with negative toxicology; limitations of toxicological testing and SFSTs with novel psychoactive substances; and how drugs cause physiological changes, manifested in anatomical structures. He will also explain how psychophysical is synonymous to driving and SFSTs – both of which are divided attention tasks.

• Medical Mimicking (Jason Beaman)

  Tue. 8 a.m.  |  Tue. 1 p.m.

  - Jason Beaman, D.O., Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Chair, Executive Director - Training and Education, Center for Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University

  Drug Recognition Experts are often involved with individuals with an altered mental status. They must make the judgment as to whether this impairment is caused by an illicit substance or if it could be a medical problem. This can be a very difficult question to answer. This presentation will assist officers in understanding the overlap between medical problems presenting as mental illness and mental illness presenting as medical problems. Dr. Beaman will review different forms of intoxication, and help you understand medical conditions that mimic intoxication and mental conditions that mimic intoxication.

• Misdirected: Common Distraction Techniques Used by Suspects (Ashley Eller, Frank Imparato)

  Tue. 10:15 a.m.  |  Thur. 10:15 a.m.

   - Officer Ashley Eller, Apopka (FL) Police Department
   - Sergeant Frank Imparato, University of Central Florida Police Department

  This session will teach you the most common ways suspects misdirect an officer’s attention. When this happens, you open yourself to injuries or possible use of force. Officer Eller and Sergeant Imparato will demonstrate how to keep your skills sharp during these types of encounters, leading to a safer roadside encounter. You’ll learn the most common locations to hide narcotics and other contraband, how to spot deception and other misdirection, and how “win” during these encounters.

• Report Writing for Impaired Driving Enforcement Officers (Vin Petty)

  Wed. 1 p.m.  |  Wed. 3:15 p.m.

   - TSRP Vin Petty, Florida TSRP Program

  Mr. Petty will provide an in-depth discussion of techniques and tips to improve the documentation of all aspects of a DUI Investigation. This session – taught from a prosecutor’s perspective – is designed to help improve your DUI Reports, so that a prosecutor can better use them to succeed in court. A variety of DUI Reports submitted from various agencies in actual DUI Prosecutions – both good and bad examples – will be discussed and serve as examples of how to better prepare the DUI Alcohol/Drug Influence Report.

Traffic Supervision

• The FTO's Role in DUI Investigations (Allan Kolak)

  Mon. 1 p.m.  |  Thur. 10:15 a.m.

  - Lieutenant Allan Kolak, Cape Coral (FL) Police Department

  This session will discuss why officers need to be motivated to enforce impaired driving laws and methods to motivate them to make DUI arrests. Lieutenant Kolak will provide best practices for Field Training Officers, including safety considerations. He will present information on generational styles of learning and provide resources and solutions to assist with Field Training.

• Supervising the DUI/Traffic Enforcement Units: Challenges, Solutions and Management (Mark Eastty)

  Mon. 3:15 p.m.  |  Thur. 8 a.m.

  - Sergeant Mark Eastty, Pinellas County (FL) Sheriff's Office

  This session will tackle the challenges related to supervising the DUI/Traffic Units in a COVID/Defund the Police era. Sergeant Eastty will provide solutions new or current supervisors can apply to supervise the DUI/Traffic Units effectively and efficiently. He’ll share strategies for budget constraints, management techniques for personnel issues, policy development and updates, along with training and selecting members for your DUI/Traffic Units.