Recruits at the Eastern Regional Police Academy in Norwich are learning how to detect drivers who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
It’s part of their 28 weeks of basic training to become a police officer.
Gil Maffeo is a Waterford cop and the DUI instructor at the academy. He said they do ‘wet-lab’ training where they bring in volunteers who have been drinking to work with the trainees.
“This is their chance to see a drunk in this controlled environment, where we know people aren’t going to give them a bad time or something,” Maffeo said. “And it’s just another chance for them to practice, number one being able to recognize the impairment but then able to practice the standardized field sobriety tests.”
Trainees learn how to detect erratic eye movements and lack of balance and coordination to determine whether a person is impaired or not.
Patrick Phelan, a new officer with Plainfield Police Department, explained what they’re looking for when they carry out field sobriety tests.
“In the eye test, we’re going to be looking for involuntary jerking of the eyes from side to side and up and down as well,” Phelan said. “With the walk and turn test we’re going to look for, did they take the correct number of steps, did they balance, correct starting position, starting on the right time, not stopping, taking a turn correctly. And then with the one-legged stand we’re going to be making sure that they aren’t using their arms to balance, putting their foot down, they’re not swaying or hopping on their foot, and, again just taking those directions that we give them.”
In 2022, more than 6,000 people in Connecticut were charged with DUI’s or driving under the influence. More arrests are made around the holiday season.
A DUI in Connecticut carries a fine between $500-$1,000 and up to one year in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 30 days. It also remains on a driver's record for 10 years.
