By battlefordsNOW Staff

Battlefords RCMP part of national drug-test strategy

Dec 16, 2016 | 11:00 AM

Battlefords area drivers may soon be asked by RCMP to provide a voluntary saliva sample, as part of a new federal pilot project exploring roadside screening tests for drug-impaired drivers.

According to a news release, local RCMP members will be trained to use two “oral fluid screening devices,” which test saliva for drugs including cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids.

The members will use the devices in operational settings with drivers and passengers who offer to anonymously provide a sample. None of the results will be used against volunteers as evidence in any criminal or administrative proceedings

The Battlefords RCMP are one of only a few police forces across the county chosen for the pilot project. The others are the Toronto Police Service, Vancouver Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Service de police de la ville de Gatineau, Halifax Regional Police Service, and Yellowknife RCMP.

The release states the results from the pilot project will influence how police forces handle drug-impaired driving in the future.

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Currently, police have the authority to demand a suspected drug-impaired driver submit to a field sobriety test and provide a sample of blood, urine or saliva for further testing.

There are also drug recognition experts within many police forces, who can be called upon to put a suspected drug-impaired driver through a series of psychological and physical tests and use clinical indicators to determine whether someone is impaired.

These tests, in conjunction with lab tests, can be used as evidence in court.

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