Police get boost in drugged-driving fight

Senators from NY and Ark. said police have no equipment and few have training in identifying drugged drivers, who may not show signs of intoxication

By John Bacon
USA TODAY

A plan to provide federal aid to help police nationwide crack down on drugged driving drew support from two senators Sunday.

Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., proposed that federal funding in a pending transportation bill be used for research and to train police. They said police have no equipment and few have training in identifying drugged drivers, who may not show signs of intoxication that drunken drivers do, such as slurred speech.

The senators cited a 2009 federal report in which 10.5 million Americans said they had driven under the influence of drugs. "Cops need a Breathalyzer-like technology that works to identify drug-impaired drivers," Schumer said. Pryor said he wants to create federal grants so officers can be taught to detect drugged driving.

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