Your New York DWI / DUI or DWAI Drugs Lawyer Should Have the Same Training As Police
Hiring the right lawyer to defend a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI or DUI) or Driving While Impaired by Drugs (DWI Drugs or DWAI Drugs) in New York and New York City is a crucial decision. One of the most important factors when choose a DWI / DUI attorney is the type of specific training that they have.
There are two types of training that the DWI /DUI lawyer that you hire should have: Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and Advanced Roadside Impaired Drive Training (ARIDE). These courses, which were developed and are overseen by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSTA), are the same exact courses that police take. But only a few select lawyers in New York have the important training.
First, most police are trained to administer Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) to drivers who are stopped for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Under the Influence. The DWI / DUI lawyer that you choose should also be trained to administer SFSTs. Attorneys can take the same exact course as police do and receive the same approval to administer Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.
The SFST training, which is approved by NHSTA, takes place over 24 hours. The training is very specific and involves course instruction and a practical examination of people who are actually intoxicated. An attorney who is approved to perform SFSTs knows the many mistakes that police make when administering SFSTs and can poke important holes in a prosecutor’s case.
Second, only a select number of police are trained in Advanced Roadside Impaired Drive Training (ARIDE), which was also developed by NHSTA.
NYC DWI and DWI Drugs Advanced Roadside Impaired Enforcement (ARIDE) Certificate
The advanced program is meant as a bridge between Standardized Field Sobriety Test training and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training. The purpose of ARIDE is train police in observations of both alcohol and drug impairment or DWI / DUI Drugs. Advanced Roadside Impaired Drive Training focuses on the 7 recognized drug categories and the signs of alleged impairment by drugs and the combined influence of alcohol and drugs:
- Cannabis (Marijuana)
- CNS Represents
- CNS Stimulants
- Hallucinogens
- Dissociative Anesthetics
- Narcotic Angiogenic
- Inhalants
Just like the SFST training, attorneys can receive the same 16-hour training course as police. If few attorneys are trained to administer SFSTs, even fewer DWI / DUI lawyers in New York are ARIDE-trained. The ARIDE training matters because a DWI / DUI defense lawyer will think like the police officer who made the arrest and know the crucial weak points in the prosecutor’s case and the observations and conclusions of the police officers who made the arrest.
