What Training Do Georgia Officers Need for DUI Field Tests?
Answer:
Georgia officers complete a standard training program at the POST Academy, but this doesn’t necessarily include field sobriety test certification. Some patrol officers lack this specific training and must call in a certified colleague when they suspect a DUI. The gold standard is training through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; a further step is the ARIDE program, and beyond that, officers can become certified Drug Recognition Experts, which requires roughly 160 additional hours of training. If an officer lacks proper certification and still administered your field sobriety test, that’s a meaningful issue for your defense — you can request an officer’s training records directly from the POST Academy. If this applies to your situation in the North Georgia area, give us a call.
Basic Academy Training Isn’t the Same as SFST Certification
Every Georgia officer goes through the POST Academy to become a certified peace officer, but that baseline training covers general law enforcement skills — it doesn’t automatically include certification in the standardized field sobriety tests used to evaluate DUI suspects. Field sobriety test certification is a separate, additional course officers have to complete on top of their basic academy training, and not every officer who’s out on patrol has done so.
What Happens When the Responding Officer Isn’t Certified
Because SFST certification isn’t universal, it’s common for a patrol officer who isn’t trained in these tests to call in a colleague who is certified when they suspect a driver may be impaired. This creates a layered situation in DUI cases: the officer who made the stop, the officer who administered the tests, and the officer who made the arrest aren’t always the same person — and each one’s individual training and certification status can matter to your defense.
The Escalating Levels of Training
Beyond basic SFST certification, officers can pursue additional levels of training:
- NHTSA-based SFST training — considered the gold standard for administering and scoring the standardized field sobriety tests
- ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) — a further step designed to help officers recognize impairment from drugs rather than just alcohol
- Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) certification — the most advanced level, requiring roughly 160 additional hours of training, focused specifically on identifying drug impairment
The further up this chain an officer has trained, the more weight their observations and testimony tend to carry in court — which also means the less trained an officer is, the more room there is to challenge their conclusions.
Why This Is Worth Checking in Every Case
If the officer who administered your field sobriety tests lacked the proper certification for what they were doing, that’s a meaningful issue for your defense. You — or your attorney — can request that officer’s training records directly from the POST Academy to find out exactly what certifications they held at the time of your arrest. If this applies to your situation in the North Georgia area, give us a call.
