Law enforcement seeks funding for roadside drug screening
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Minnesota law enforcement officials are asking the state Legislature for new roadside drug-screening tools, as drug-related impaired driving reports rise.
For the last year, the Department of Public Safety conducted a pilot study of two different drug screening devices. Both use portable kits to test saliva samples for several different substances, including THC, amphetamines and cocaine. They return results in a few minutes.
In a report to the state Legislature submitted last week, the department said both of the test devices work. Now, they’re hoping to get them to more officers.
“These are good, solid tools, and so now it will be up to our legislative and policy makers to decide how this is going to roll forward in Minnesota,” said Mike Hanson, the director for the Department of Public Safety.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
More than 50 officers participated in the study. They asked drivers to volunteer to take screening tests during DWI investigations. Officers could not use the results in any way during the investigations; the results were only to be used for pilot study data.
Officer Jake Cree with the Blaine police department worked on the study.
“I think these devices will be extremely helpful for law enforcement officers around our state,” Cree said. “We have a very serious problem with impaired driving, both in alcohol and in and in controlled substances.”
The department says drugged driving accounted for nearly 16,000 DWI incidents between 2018 and 2022 – nearly double the number from 2013-2017.
Results from these screening tests aren’t admissible in courts; officers would still need to get urine and blood samples for evidence. But they could help officers establish probable cause for an arrest.
Hanson said it can be tricky to tell the difference between a drunk driver and a high driver without a screening test.
“The average street officer out there may not have that high level of training,” Hanson said. “This is just one other tool that they can use to reach that arrest – no arrest decision.”
The pilot study cost about $900,000. Implementing screening tests more broadly would require another investment; each testing device costs about $5,000. Officers would also need training on the tests.
Hanson argued it’s worth the price.
“If we can save one life by deploying these things, it is absolutely worth every penny we invest in it,” Hanson said.
The Senate and House committees on transportation are reviewing the report. From there, they can move legislation to allow and fund the devices.
Officials said they want drivers to know the risks, as they seek to improve enforcement of the law.
Tyler Milless is the coordinator of Minnesota’s drug evaluation and classification program. He urged people to think before getting behind the wheel after using cannabis, now that it’s legal to use in Minnesota.
“If you feel different, you drive different,” Milless said. “When you get down to the nitty-gritty of how cannabis works in the body… it is different from person to person. The simple answer is, if you feel different, don’t drive.”
