SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Police have a new tool to help them crack down on impaired driving.
SPD and Sacred Heart Medical Center, with funding from Washington Traffic Safety Commission, to train officers to draw blood
Six SPD officers and one Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy attended a training to learn to draw blood as part of their DUI investigations.
SPD Sgt. Teresa Fuller said the goal is to help law enforcement get the blood samples they need in a timely manner, while alleviating the demand on hospital and medical staff.
“[It allows] these officers to streamline and expedite these investigations. Officers will spend less time on these investigations, which means these officers can go back to patrol. This will ultimately lead to better investigations and evidence in these cases, with the goal to lower the number of impaired drivers on our road, therefore impacting the number of serious injury and fatality crashes involving impaired drivers,” she said.
The program is overseen by a registered nurse, and each law enforcement participant will hold a Washington State Department of Health license as a medical assistant phlebotomist.
Sgt. Fuller said SPD hopes to have 20 officers capable of drawing blood by 2026.
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