Tyler Smith just graduated NHTSA’s DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) in Washington D.C. The 24-hour course is the exact training law enforcement officers receive on how to conduct drunk driving investigations. An experienced SFST instructor who has trained thousands of law enforcement officers taught the course.
The course covered all three phases of a drunk driving investigation: Vehicle In Motion, Personal Contact, and Pre-Arrest Screening. It also covered each SFST: the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, the Walk and Turn test, and the One Leg Stand test. Attorney Smith participated in two live alcohol workshops at which he and others administered SFSTs on volunteers. He also learned the importance of highlighting often-overlooked evidence of sobriety–evidence that is usually not in the police report. At the end of the course, Attorney Smith passed both the written and live proficiency examinations that police officers must pass to become certified in administering field sobriety tests.
Attorney Smith’s DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety training provides him with in depth knowledge of how officers conduct drunk driving investigations. This knowledge improves his ability to challenge the evidence on behalf of clients charge with operating under the influence (OUI).
