People who use drugs and drive might want to think twice about doing it in Hailey.
City Patrol Officer Derek Stewart is now a certified drug recognition expert, following a three-week extensive training course through the Idaho State Police Post Academy. Stewart's expertise will be used in cases in which a driver is pulled over for allegedly driving under the influence and police suspect drugs are involved.
"He's the only one in the valley," said Lt. Jeff Gunter, Hailey's acting police chief. "It's going to be a valuable asset, and an asset we'll make available to the rest of the county."
Gunter explained that drug use is usually harder to detect than alcohol when a driver is pulled over for suspicion of DUI. Stewart's training will allow him to put a suspect through a series of 12 tests to identify if the suspect is stoned.
"It's a weakness that we recognize we have in the valley, and Derek is very capable to do this," Gunter said.
Stewart's training involved two weeks of classroom work in Boise and one week of "in-the-field training" in Seattle.
Gunter said Stewart was only one of 24 officers in Idaho accepted in the class this year.
"It's a hard class to get into," he said, adding that Stewart likely qualified because of high academic achievement and a high rate of convictions in DUI cases.
Stewart said the course taught him how to recognize seven different categories of drugs, both illegal and prescription, that can impair a driver's ability behind the wheel.
"It gives me the ability to detect people driving under the influence of drugs," he said.
Hailey Patrol Officer Derek Stewart
