Impairment comes in many forms and levels, and drunk labs are one way to assess the scale of responses found in people under the influence.įrom the well-known “Walk and Turn” test that requires a potentially intoxicated person to walk in a line toe-to-heel and turn around, to the "pen test" - in which an officer holds up a pen and moves it back and forth across someone’s field of vision, officers had an opportunity to practice recognizing the signs of subtle intoxication without the pressure of being in the field.Ĭpl. The Friday evening event was part of the Baton Rouge Police Department’s annual “drunk lab,” where instructors enlist people to show up to headquarters and have a few drinks in a safe and controlled environment so they can submit to field sobriety tests by officers looking for a DWI refresher.Īs the holiday season ramps up, bringing with it festive parties and end-of-year company functions, BRPD has alerted drivers that they'll be on the lookout for impaired driving when people are on the way home from their ugly Christmas sweater get-togethers and Secret Santa gift exchanges.Ī grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has equipped BRPD to fund more than 17,000 additional hours to enforce impaired driving, speeding and underage drinking. After all, this is what they had signed up for.
Finish your drinks.”Ī few people groaned dramatically, and others protested, but for the most part they took the news in stride. “We’re cutting everybody off in five minutes,” he said.
Greg Fairbanks, left, performs a horizontal gaze nystagmus test on participant Kristin Lear during the department's annual 'drinking lab.' (Photo/TNS)īut then, at 7:10 p.m., a police officer entered the room and made an announcement.
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