The Altona Police Service has beefed up its arsenal of equipment and techniques for detecting impaired or intoxicated motorists. The technology and training enhancements come on the heels of nation-wide cannabis legalization and stricter drunk driving laws.

Recently, the agency put in to service the Dragger 5000, an oral fluid screening device used to determine the level of cocaine and/or T-H-C (the main psychoactive found in cannabis) in a person's system.

Town Councilor and member of the Altona Police Board, Harv Schroeder, volunteered a sample to help demonstrate the Drager 5000. His results came back negative!

The $8,000 machine was fully funded by the federal government, and as Constable Dueck explains, it tests more than just saliva.

"It's saliva and cells...all bacteria, it's all combined into that oral fluid," he said.

Once a good-quality sample has been obtained, which takes between 20 and 30 seconds, it is inserted into the Drager 5000 for processing. The results then spit out on a receipt that also lists additional details like the machine's information and details of the person that was tested. This slip of paper is considered a legal document and is presented in court if the case moves forward.

Currently only 1 officer with the Altona Police Service is trained to use the Drager 5000, however, Police Chief Perry Batchelor says additional members will be given the opportunity to become a technician as the training becomes available.

"We're fortunate to have one officer trained because there's several in the province that need training," he added.

Additionally, 4 officers are now certified to conduct the Standard Field Sobriety Test, surpassing the provincial requirement to have one-third of each police force trained in the process in time for cannabis legalization.

The SFST is a series of three roadside exercises used to detect if a driver is under the influence of cannabis and other intoxicants.

In order for officers to use either of these techniques, Dueck explains they need to have reasonable suspicion that a driver is impaired. That can be determined for example by observing erratic or odd driving behaviour, or by detecting a smell of marijuana/alcohol when approaching the vehicle after a traffic stop.

If results from either of these tests come back positive, police then have the authority to arrest the suspect and order further tests such as obtaining a blood sample or examination by a drug recognition expert in order to lay an impaired charge.

"It's a means for us to find impaired drivers and to keep our roads safer in the end," said Dueck.

Don Radford, vice chair of the Altona Police Board, demonstrated one of the tests included in the SFST.