The North Dakota Highway Patrol currently has 10 Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) and eleven Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Instructors to enhance impaired driving enforcement efforts and keep North Dakota roadways safe.
The SFST is a battery of three reliable tests performed during a traffic stop to determine if a driver is impaired. The three tests have been scientifically validated and are designed to be simple and easily performed by the average person when not impaired. The tests simulate the divided attention qualities of driving and exercise the same mental and physical attributes that a person needs to drive safely. These tests, like driving, require information processing, judgment, memory, balance, steady reactions, and coordination of limbs.
Trooper Tarek Chase is the North Dakota DRE/Standardized Field Sobriety Testing State Coordinator. Trooper Chase serves as a reference and guide for all DREs, DRE Instructors, and SFST Instructors from each agency in the state and provides reference material, training, and overall guidance to the programs. He also serves as a liaison between local law enforcement agencies and the North Dakota Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the International Association of Chief’s of Police for funding and training materials. Contact Trooper Chase, 701-328-2447, twchase@nd.gov.