Michigan State Police to expand roadside drug testing pilot

Last November the Michigan State Police wrapped up a year long pilot program in five Michigan counties to test the accuracy of a roadside drug test.

In December lawmakers agreed to fund an expansion of the program based on its success.

A fatal crash in the Upper Peninsula city of Gladstone in 2013 was the catalyst behind the drug testing pilot. A semi-truck driver was convicted on six-felony charges in connection with the crash, including two counts of operating a motor vehicle with the presence of a controlled substance causing death.

According to MSP the number of drug-impaired fatal crashes has increased over the ten year period between 2007 and 2017 by 151%, up from 98 to 246.

When his parents were killed in 2016, the couple’s son contacted his legislator who got the ball rolling on legislation to curb drugged driving.

Senator Thomas Casperson introduced a pair of bills to combat the problem and come up with a solution to roadside testing. Public Act 242 and 243 of 2016 became known as the Barbara J. and Thomas J. Swift Law, and police started looking at test instruments.

Members of MSP, prosecuting attorneys, toxicologists and forensic experts got together, forming the Oral Fluid Roadside Analysis Pilot Program Committee.

Their report was recently released along with the recommendation to expand the pilot state-wide for at least a year.

The oral fluid roadside test is the Alere DDS2, which detects six different drugs, including a component of cannabis known as Delta 9 THC. It also tests for the presence of amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates and benzodiazepines.

Program director, F/Lt. Jim Flegel said an independent laboratory as well as the MSP Forensic Lab tested the results, and across the board they proved accurate.

In all 92 people were tested and 89 were arrested. According to the report 83 people tested positive for substances; and over 80% of those who tested positive for cannabis.

As a result of the five-county pilot, MSP plans to continue working on the accuracy of the equipment, which it hopes will support permanent changes to the Motor Vehicle Code.

MSP is also training more officers across the state as Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) who can spot impaired drivers and test them at the roadside.

A date to start the yearlong pilot program has not been set, but is expected to be sometime within 2019.

Media + Blog 

Planet Green Trees Podcast

Komorn Law In The News

Media

Washtenaw Prosecutor will not file any criminal charges on you

Washtenaw Prosecutor will not file any criminal charges on you

Washtenaw County Policy Directive 2025-01POLICY REGARDING QUANTITATIVE DRUG CHECKING Introduction The overdose crisis in America has persisted for decades, resulting in profound loss and suffering across the nation. Since 1999, opioid overdoses have tragically taken...

Qualifying for a Public Defender in Michigan

Qualifying for a Public Defender in Michigan

In Michigan, individuals charged with a crime have the constitutional right to legal representation.In Michigan, individuals charged with a crime have the constitutional right to legal representation. For those unable to afford a private attorney, the state provides...

Michigan Record Expungement Information

Michigan Record Expungement Information

Am I eligible to apply to expunge a criminal record? Is it automatic?So your new girlfriend has a criminal record and you can't get that apartment together. If that's really what you want to do, then here's some information to get that record expunged. What is an...

Drones – What Drones? Update

Drones – What Drones? Update

Drone story update January 28, 2025 NJ drones 'were authorized to be flown by FAA for research,' Donald Trump says The mysterious drones that captivated New Jersey late last year were not enemy craft, but instead were authorized by the FAA, President Donald Trump said...

Terry Stop and Refusal to Identify Yourself to Police

Terry Stop and Refusal to Identify Yourself to Police

Because this is how it always goes...This is the second part of this post. Read this first - Just Because You're Hanging Out in a High Crime Area Doesn't Make You Suspicious.Standard for Investigatory Detentions / Terry Stops Under Terry v Ohio and other well...

Gun buyback program – Michigan

Gun buyback program – Michigan

There's another bounty to be claimed besides turning in your neighbor.Defined here in HB6144 can mean so many things... “firearm” means any weapon that will, is designed to, or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by action of an explosiveEntrepreneurs get...

Sextortion – Michigan

Sextortion – Michigan

Sextortion - Extortion with an S.Michigan House Bills 5887 and 5888 make sextortion illegal in Michigan. The law defines sextortion as a threat to create or disseminate sexually explicit images or videos of another person to coerce them. The new law makes a first...

Earned Sick Time Act – 2025 New Laws in Effect for Michigan

Earned Sick Time Act – 2025 New Laws in Effect for Michigan

Some laws in effect in 2025 "Enacted by the People of Michigan" Here we go...remember these laws can change at any moment because that's what the politicians do that you don't.Earned Sick Time Act Because everyone is sick...sometimes Read more on your own time.AN ACT...

Michael Komorn-Criminal Defense Attorney

About Your Attorney

Attorney Michael Komorn

Categories

Other Topics

Driving Under the Influence

Michigan

Your Rights

Michigan Court of Appeals

Law Firm VIctories

Share This