Standardized Field Sobriety Test Training
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) worked with scientists and police officers to develop a battery of tests known as the standardized field sobriety tests (SFST's) that officers can use at roadside to determine whether a person involved in a traffic stop is under the influence of alcohol. The tests have very specific instructions and guidelines requiring an officer to receive training in how to administer and how to evaluate the tests under traffic stop conditions.
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History
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) responded to the 50,000 lives lost each year due to drunk drivers during the late 1960s and 1970s by developing a battery of field sobriety tests that when conducted in a standardized manner, had provable scientific validity. From 1975 until 1981, NHTSA conducted research that led to the three test battery known as the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST's). Since 1992, the International Association of Chiefs of Police has recognized a standardized training program for certification in administering the SFSTs.
Purpose of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests
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Prior to the SFSTs police officers had no scientific basis for the field sobriety tests they used. As a result, not all courts would allow the tests as evidence of impaired driving. The SFSTs not only are admissible when properly administered, but give officers an accurate measure of reliability in making a correct roadside arrest decision. In 1981, officers made a correct decision 81 percent of the time, but after the implementation of the SFSTs and standardized training to go with them, officers made the correct arrest decision 91 percent of the time when the officer used the entire battery of tests in making his decision.
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Standardized Field Sobriety Tests
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The three tests that make up the standardized field sobriety tests include the walk and turn test, the one-leg stand, and the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. The walk and turn test involves the suspect walking heel-to-toe in a straight line. The officer looks for indicators of impairment such as lost balance, or forgetting the number of required steps. In the one-leg stand the suspect must raise his toe 6 inches off the ground and count to 30.
Again, the officer looks for indicators of impairment such as lost balance, or improper counting. The horizontal gaze nystagmus test is the most scientific test and has the highest validity if administered according to training guidelines. The officer has the suspect follow an object with his eyes. The officer looks to see if the suspect has nystagmus, or jerky movements in the eye as it tracks. According to NHTSA, however, the tests only have scientific validity if administered precisely as the officer is trained.
Standardized Field Sobriety Test Training
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While NHTSA developed the training program, it is given to officers by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the initial program to get certified in the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests requires 24 hours of instruction. The coursework includes 16 modules of instruction. The student must pass each module with a minimum score of 80 percent correct. NHTSA has a four-hour refresher class recommendation, but some states have shorter, but frequent refresher classes.
Who Can Get Standardized Field Sobriety Test Training
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Instructions and detailed information on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests can be found in many places online, and even at formal seminars. Most training facilities, however, require that the student be actively employed as a law enforcement officer, in formal law enforcement training, or be under the control of a law enforcement agency.
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References
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