GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Thursday was the first day of a year-long pilot program where police will be testing for drugged driving.
While law enforcement sees this as a new tool to keep highways safe, some attorneys see it overreach by police.
Police say so far, the handful of officers on the streets trained to use the testing equipment have not used it in the last 24 hours.
But attorney Bruce Block says whoever does get offered the test should say “none for me, thanks.”
Michigan State Police Special Lt. Jim Flegel showed 24 Hour News 8 how the program works and explained why it is needed.
“Unfortunately, over the last year, we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of fatal crashes involving impaired drivers,” Flegel said
Why there has been an increase could be because of an increase in drug use coupled with an increase in testing.
Now, the police will be using a mouth swab that will test saliva using a hand-held device that shows whether drugs are present.
Full story at WoodTV