Cherokee County Committed To Catching Drug Impaired Drivers

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is committed to getting those who get high before they get behind the wheel off the street. Wednesday morning, Deputy Sheriff Nate Jones became a certified Drug Recognition Expert after completing the Kansas Highway Patrol’s training program this week.

The Drug Recognition Expert Program is a nationally accredited training which targets the ever-growing problem of drug impaired driving.

Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves tells News Talk KZRG about the training.

“The DRE Program requires intense training where law enforcement officers must demonstrate a level of knowledge and proficiency in drug evaluations of suspected impaired drivers, much higher than that of standard field-sobriety testing.”

“Because of the strict requirements involved, which include pre-requisite certifications in Standard Field Sobriety Testing and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (A.R.I.D.E.), it’s rare to have law enforcement officers outside of the Kansas Highway Patrol or larger metro agencies become certified. I’m proud of Deputy Jones’ hard work and commitment, allowing us to have that level of expertise within our agency, ultimately helping to keep families safe as they travel our local roadways,” concluded Sheriff Groves.