2 weeks Ago By Hope Moural
PIPESTONE – Last year, drug recognition evaluators –or DREs – from 41 law enforcement agencies around Minnesota participated in a pilot project, operated by the state Department of Traffic Safety, allowing for new screening tools that could be used during drug-impaired driving incidents. Two of those DREs were from the Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office, including Patrol Sergeant Jeff Rowden and Officer Josh Watts. ADVERTISEMENT They were two of 57 DREs to test two tools including the Abbott SoToxaTM Oral Fluid Mobile Test System and the Dräger DrugTest 5000.
Both instruments are used to complete oral fluid tests and detect the presence of illegal substances including cocaine, opiates and amphetamines, among others. “What’s different (about the instruments) is that it allows officers to test right there on the roadside for drugs,” said Rowden. “We’ve never had a way of doing that before.
” Rowden shared that while a preliminary breath test can help trained officers test for suspected drunk driving, the Abbott SoToxa and Dräger DrugTest 5000 were two tools that helped him when it came to incidents of someone driving high. The study ran from February to August 2024 and drivers who participated did so on a voluntary basis. Rowden estimates during that time, around a dozen or so tests were completed in Pipestone County using the instruments.
The results were then sent to the public safety department for a report that was presented to the state legislature last month. “I would say 50% of our DWI cases in Pipestone County are drug-related,” said Rowden. “Impaired driving is going to be there and these tools helped us.
” According to the legislative report released by the Office of Traffic Safety on March 18, the study was done in the hopes of gathering data on both of the tools' accuracy and perhaps even permanently adding them to state law in regards to obtaining probable evidence, although that is yet to be determined. Rowden says as Minnesota moves closer and closer to legalizing substances like cannabis, these tools could really help officers if it were to come to pass. There are commonly noticeable clues that can help a trained law enforcement officer determine if someone may be driving drunk, some drugs can’t always be confirmed.
For instance, there is usually an odor detected when alcohol is present, whereas with some drugs, there is not. ADVERTISEMENT “The instruments are a tool to basically confirm the officer’s opinion (that someone is driving high), said Rowden. But just like breath tests, oral fluid tests such as these can’t be presented in court as evidence.
For that, a blood or urine test would need to be submitted. The study showed, however, that these two handheld devices detected the same drug presence as a lab-run blood or urine test, matching at 82% accuracy. Also according to the published report, the instruments found that “90% of drivers who tested positive for alcohol with a PBT also tested positive for one or more drugs” and the most frequently detected drugs were methamphetamines, amphetamines and cannabinoids.
“I think the study really helped Pipestone County prepare for legalization,” shared Rowden..
