(DENVER) — On Monday, Jan. 29, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will hold a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training program for Colorado law enforcement. Agencies from across the state, including the Colorado Springs Police Department, will participate.

Officers will take CDOT’s advanced roadside impairment testing course in order to receive DRE certification. According to a press release from CDOT, one-third of fatal crashes in Colorado are linked to drivers impaired by drugs, alcohol or a combination of substances. CDOT wants to give law enforcement the necessary advanced skills to recognize impaired drivers.

The Colorado DRE program has been in existence since 1987, and exists to help law enforcement officers recognize drivers who are impaired by drugs other than alcohol, or combinations of drugs and alcohol. Drug use evolves and changes from year to year, and it’s important for officers to learn new trends.

According to data from 2022 on CDOT’s website, 691 people died on Colorado roads in 2021, which was a 50% increase since 2011. Since 2019, the number of people killed in accidents involving an impaired driver has gone up 44%.

CDOT is responding to this trend by reaching out to the public, as well as law enforcement agencies, to increase awareness and training. As of 2022, Colorado’s law enforcement agencies had 150 trained Drug Recognition Experts, and more will be trained as CDOT continues to offer the DRE certiticate program. The training will being Jan. 29, 2024 and run through Feb. 8, 2024.

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