Syringes and Sidearms: Police Add Venipuncture To Arsenal of Drunk Driving Tools

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — When police officer Darryll Dowell is on patrol in the southwestern Idaho city of Nampa, he'll pull up at a stoplight and usually start casing the vehicle. Nowadays, his eyes will also focus on the driver's arms, as he tries to search for a plump, bouncy vein.

"I was looking at people's arms and hands, thinking, 'I could draw from that,'" Dowell said.

It's all part of training he and a select cadre of officers in Idaho and Texas have received in recent months to draw blood from those suspected of drunken or drugged driving. The federal program's aim is to determine if blood draws by cops can be an effective tool against drunk drivers and aid in their prosecution.

If the results seem promising after a year or two, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will encourage police nationwide to undergo similar training.

For years, defense attorneys in Idaho advised clients to always refuse breath tests, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Christine Starr said. When the state toughened the penalties for refusing the tests a few years ago, the problem lessened, but it's still the main reason that drunk driving cases go to trial in the Boise region, Starr said.

Idaho had a 20 percent breath test refusal rate in 2005, compared with 22 percent nationally, according to an NHTSA study.

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AP: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-police-dui-blood,0,6413821.story

"cold day in hell".

Taser me first.

I don't THINK so!

Besides the invasion of privacy, this is a really bad idea.

I can hardly wait for the authority apologists to show up and tell us how wonderful this is.

:puke:

Good reason to avoid them.

Nuh uh.

Cops are bad enough as it is. I'll fight that shit to the death.

the first person who refuses the breathalizer - and the needle stick on the scene - and actually is not drunk - that's going to be a fun lawsuit.

a few for blood alcohol, as long as the officers follow standard drawing procedures, label their vials correctly and follow the procedures they're supposed to as far as collecting evidence is concerned, the hood of a patrol car or the inside of a van isn't any different than having an EMT start an iv or draw blood in the field. Also according to the article if the officers look for the easy stick, if they don't see it then they go to a medical professional.

That being said, I'm still not sure it's a good idea. That's pretty invasive and things can go wrong. People faint and puke when their blood is drawn, nerves can be damaged, and the officers themselves are opened up to accidental needle sticks.

I think it'll be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

edit to change and to an

:shrug:

They would need a warrant to take something from someone's body.