DRE Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When coordinating with a hospital emergency physician after a DUI-D arrest, the DRE should communicate primarily to:
- Obtain a copy of the subject's medical records without consent
- Share evaluation findings relevant to the subject's medical care and collect urine/blood specimens per protocol (Correct answer)
- Instruct the physician on treatment decisions
- Request the physician testify about the DRE findings
Correct answer: Share evaluation findings relevant to the subject's medical care and collect urine/blood specimens per protocol
Coordination with medical staff focuses on sharing safety-relevant findings and collecting toxicological specimens within legal and ethical bounds.
Question 2: A DRE supervisor reviewing a new officer's evaluation report notes the opinion section lacks documentation of specific observations. The supervisor should:
- Approve the report to avoid delay in prosecution
- Require the officer to supplement the report with documented observations before submission (Correct answer)
- Complete the missing sections on the officer's behalf
- Submit the report and address documentation in future training only
Correct answer: Require the officer to supplement the report with documented observations before submission
Reports must link opinions to documented observations; supervisors are responsible for ensuring completeness before submission.
Question 3: Inter-agency data sharing of DRE evaluation records is best governed by:
- Informal agreements between individual officers
- A memorandum of understanding (MOU) or formal data-sharing agreement between agencies (Correct answer)
- The lead DRE officer's personal discretion
- The subject's consent alone
Correct answer: A memorandum of understanding (MOU) or formal data-sharing agreement between agencies
Formal MOUs or data-sharing agreements establish legal and procedural frameworks for cross-agency DRE record sharing.
Question 4: A DRE coordinator receives a media inquiry about local DUID arrest statistics. The most appropriate response is to:
- Provide all case-level details to improve public transparency
- Direct the inquiry to the agency's public information officer and provide only aggregate, non-identifying data if authorized (Correct answer)
- Decline all comment and hang up
- Share raw DRE evaluation files with the reporter
Correct answer: Direct the inquiry to the agency's public information officer and provide only aggregate, non-identifying data if authorized
Media inquiries should be routed through the public information officer using aggregated data to protect case integrity and subject privacy.
Question 5: When testifying about pupil sizes measured during a DRE evaluation, the officer should present the measurements in relation to:
- The subject's stated self-assessment
- The normal range for the ambient light condition recorded at the time of measurement (Correct answer)
- The arresting officer's subjective observations
- Average population norms without regard to lighting
Correct answer: The normal range for the ambient light condition recorded at the time of measurement
Pupil size findings are only meaningful when interpreted against normal ranges under the specific lighting conditions documented during the evaluation.
Question 6: A DRE is asked by a patrol officer to provide an informal opinion on a driver without conducting the full 12-step protocol. The DRE should:
- Provide a quick verbal opinion based on a brief observation
- Explain that a valid DRE opinion requires completing the full 12-step protocol (Correct answer)
- Decline to assist and return to regular duties
- Contact the prosecutor first for guidance
Correct answer: Explain that a valid DRE opinion requires completing the full 12-step protocol
The DRE protocol's validity and legal defensibility depend on completing all 12 steps; shortcuts compromise the evaluation's evidentiary value.
Question 7: Which approach best demonstrates professional communication when a DRE disagrees with a toxicologist's findings post-evaluation?
- Publicly dispute the toxicologist's credibility at trial
- Document the discrepancy, consult with the prosecutor, and allow both findings to be presented in court (Correct answer)
- Withdraw the DRE opinion to avoid conflict
- Pressure the toxicologist to revise their report
Correct answer: Document the discrepancy, consult with the prosecutor, and allow both findings to be presented in court
Discrepancies between DRE opinions and tox results should be professionally documented and presented to prosecutors for legal resolution.
DRE Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3
When coordinating with a hospital emergency physician after a DUI-D arrest, the DRE should communicate primarily to: