Class 14-17 Week #7
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Class # 7, OUI Enforcement
While Sgt. Lawrence was in Mexico investing in tequila futures, Sgt. Adam Trayner took over the class. Deputy Sheriff Sean Cahill was on hand to give the class a quick briefing on the upcoming Barnstable County Jail tour: directions to the jail will be e:mailed to class members. Remember: no jewelry, no bags, no cameras, no cell phones. Class will meet in the parking lot prior to the tour. Ride-along reports: Officer Leslie is becoming an outstanding tour guide, according to students’ comments. One student observed that police officers aren’t just making traffic stops, they are frequently employing their social works skills to solve family problems and de-escalate potentially contentious situations. Ride-along students got to listen to simulcasts and found them very interesting. We had our first 100% quiz score; unfortunately, Sgt. Lawrence took the award stickers with him to Mexico, so the winning student received a decal of the PD’s challenge coin instead. Sgt. Trayner then showed the class a video about spiders and how they spin their webs when they are under the influence of various controlled substances or alcohol. It was truly hilarious (in a sick way), but it was an effective way of demonstrating how the brain (spiders have brains) can be affected by drugs or alcohol. |
The 2 OUI demonstrators arrived after the break, and Sgt. Trayner put them through several of the standard field sobriety tests before administering breath tests. The woman—we’ll call her “Betty”—did pretty well on the HGN test, the heel/toe test (although her arms were out for balance a little), and the 1-leg balance test. The man—we’ll call him “Bob”—did OK on the HGN test but teetered on the heel/toe test and hopped during the 1-leg balance test. When the class was asked to vote on whether they would ride with Betty or Bob, Betty got a YES while Bob got a definite NO. During their pre-class dinner, Betty drank 5 vodkas, 1 Fireball, and 2 shots; she blew a .09 on the breath test, just barely above the legal limit of .08. Bob, on the other hand, consumed 5 20-oz beers and 2 Fireballs. He blew .13. So both of them—particularly Bob—would have been subject to a 30-day license suspension.
Deputy Chief Nurse showed a series of slides with photos of car crashes directly resulting from over-consumption of alcohol. Some of the photos were truly horrific, and not all of the drivers involved survived. Contributing Editor, Donna Leiss |
Next week’s class is Court Procedures: meet in front of the Barnstable County Court House at 6:30.
May 9th will be the tour of the Barnstable County Jail (it’s a Tuesday).
Photos courtesy of Pauline Fortin and Bob Nichols