Driving Under the Influence & Standardized Field Sobriety Course

From Tuesday, August 11th through Thursday, August 13th, the San Francisco Police Department hosted a “Driving Under the Influence and Standardized Field Sobriety Course.” This course provides police officers with in-depth training on recognizing the DUI violator, conducting the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST), and determining if arrest is appropriate. This 24 hour class includes an alcohol wet lab with participants who drink alcohol while being closely monitored by instructors and students. The purpose of the alcohol wet lab is to allow individual officers the opportunity to conduct a DUI investigation on a live subject, instead of watching a video or performing the tests in a static scenario. This class also provides each officer necessary tools for courtroom testimony.

The course is governed by National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), with the California Highway Patrol as the primary sponsoring agency. The instructors involved in this course are from multiple law enforcement agencies including SFPD, CHP, Broadmoor PD, San Rafael PD, California Office of Traffic Safety, SF District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles. We would like to thank these partnering agencies for their assistance in conducting this excellent training. The students that attended this week’s course are from: SFPD, BART PD, Veteran Affairs Police, Redwood City Police, and Oakland Police.

In line with San Francisco’s Vision Zero plan, removing the potential DUI violators from the streets can help combat fatalities and make the streets of San Francisco safer. The SFPD would like to thank everyone for their cooperation in making San Francisco a safer place for everyone.