NCJ Number
197437
Date Published
November 2001
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of a study funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a model system that would help law enforcement agencies manage Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) training requirements; another objective was to explore the feasibility of establishing and operating a statewide SFST training-records system.
Abstract
Judges in Colorado became concerned about inconsistencies in the testimony of law enforcement officers concerning SFST administration and scoring procedures. In response to these concerns, representatives of law enforcement and transportation agencies developed standards for SFST instructors and practitioners based on the NHTSA standards, which include requirements for refresher training. The implementation of SFST refresher training requirements by Colorado offered an opportunity to study how law enforcement agencies maintained records of training experience in compliance with the requirement. Interviews were conducted with personnel from a sample of Colorado law enforcement agencies to obtain the information necessary to answer the research questions. In this report, the results of the interviews are presented under the following topics: SFST initial training, SFST refresher training, training management methods, and the utility and feasibility of a statewide SFST records system. Examples of paper records that were used to determine SFST refresher training requirements were reviewed, along with three computerized spreadsheets that were developed to help track SFST and other recurrent training. This review of documents, combined with procedural information obtained during the interviews, led to the identification of a preliminary list of data elements for the model SFST training management system. Next, a computerized spreadsheet was configured by using the preliminary list of data elements as header titles so as to evaluate the concepts and the appropriateness of candidate field names. Concepts and field names were modified in an iterative process to accommodate the desired system capabilities and incorporate human factors design principles. This effort produced the list of data elements and the system features, all of which are presented in this report. Despite the apparent lack of support for a statewide records system for SFST practitioners, officers and managers from nine of the agencies contacted indicated that a central database for SFST instructors might be useful and practical in helping smaller agencies to identify instructors in their area and in disseminating updated SFST information and materials. 2 tables, 16 references, and appended description of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing