Thursday, September 17, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Officers target drugged driving
By Kelli Raybern
Kansan staff writer
Around the nation, law enforcement officers are being trained to detect drivers who are on drugs, but Lawrence or KU police officers have not yet undergone the extensive training.
The Drug Recognition Expert program trains officers to administer a 12-step test to drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs. The officers also are trained to determine what drug or combination of drugs a suspect may have taken.
The program, which is run by the Kansas Highway Patrol, began about four years ago and has been used to train 44 officers so far.
Kansas Highway Patrol Sgt. David Corp, coordinator of the Drug Recognition Expert program, said the program was created as a response to a need in the state.
"We covered the bigger metro areas to start." Corp said.
The nearest trained drug-recognition experts are in Olathe, Leawood, Lenexa and Shawnee.
"Before the program began, we were letting too many drugged drivers go," he said.
Corp said he hoped to expand the program early next year.
"I hope we're going to get into
towns like Lawrence and Topeka," he said.
Just because Lawrence does not have its own certified experts, however, does not mean that drugged drivers in Lawrence cannot be caught using Drug Recognition Expert evidence.
"The way the program works, even if law-enforcement officers aren't trained in the procedures, they can call in a trained officer from another area to conduct the examination," said April Marvin, state director of the Kansas Drunk Driving Prevention Project.
Sgt. Troy Mallen of the KU Public Safety Office said that some KU officers had undergone other drug-training programs and that all were trained to respond to cases of driving under the influence.
"Several officers have gone
through drug-identification courses, and we have several that worked on the tri-county drug-enforcement unit." Malen said.
Corp said that drug-recognition experts normally were called in after an officer had stopped someone suspected of driving under the influence.
After the officers complete a series of interviews and physical exams, they report what drugs they suspect a driver of using and back up their suspicions with blood or urine tests. Corp said that the program's graduates could detect drugged drivers and the type of drugs they had used with about 90 percent accuracy.
In 1997, Kansas Drug Recognition Expert officers conducted 74 drug evaluations, which resulted in 47 arrests, according to the Kansas Drunk Drive Prevention Project.
EXAMINING SUBJECTS
Kansas Highway Patrol Sgt. David Corp said that a Drug Recognition Expert examines subjects by:
- Checking a subject's pulse, blood pressure and muscle tone.
- Checking for injection sites.
- Checking a subject's pupils to see if they are equal in size and if they are dilated or contracted in light and darkness.
Asking a subject to close his eyes, stand with his feet together and his arms at his sides, and tilt his head back. The subject then tries to estimate when he has held this position for thirty seconds. "He may estimate thirty seconds in ten seconds because his system is all rewinded up." Corp said.
Checking inside a subject's mouth and nose. Someone who has been using majang may have leaves or heat buns in his mouth. Cara said.
When the Drug Recognition Expert's testing is complete, the officer issues a written opinion, which is backed up with blood and urine tests. Corp said that Kansas DREs are accurate about 90 percent of the time.
Watkins fair offers fun, information
Kansan staff writer
By Sue Franke
Watkins Memorial Health Center's annual fair is in full swing.
The event, which provides students and faculty with information about Watkins' services, began yesterday.
The health fair, which wraps up from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, features four putt-putt golf holes as part of its theme, "Putt Your Way to Good Health."
At one of the golf holes, people tried on "fatal vision goggles," which simulate drunkenness. One pair of goggles reflects the legally intoxicated limit of .08.
Jamie Conley, St. Joseph, Mo..
senior, wore the goggles while putting.
"I felt like I was going to fall over," she said. "It gave me a good perception of what it would be like."
Julie Francis, health educator for Watkins, said that while it was a fun exercise, students should think about what it would be like to get into a car with an intoxicated person.
Students also could have their body fat checked for free. One student disagreed with the government standards for obesity.
"My body mass index is 32.1, so the government says I'm obese," said Robert Barnhill, Paola senior. "It does not take into account athletes or people who have physically
demanding jobs."
Missy Caywood, a Wattin's physical therapist, said that a body mass index between 25 and 30 was considered overweight and that a body mass index of 30 or more was obese. She said that people should not get fixated on weight and that they should have a good ratio of muscle mass to weight.
"People need lean muscle mass to be healthy, so we recommend that they add a strengthening program to their lives." Caywood said.
Students and faculty also could see kickboxing demonstrations, sign up for next week's campus blood drive and receive a personalized copy of their nutrition profile.
Crunch
A semi sits mangled behind a truck that was hauling pigs on 1-70, west of Lawrence. Three trucks were involved in the accident that sent one driver to the hospital yesterday. Photo by Corie Waters/KANSAN
Football scores extra coaches
By Melody Ard
Kansan staff writer
Some faculty members at the University of Kansas will get a quick lesson in football this fall.
This weekend marks the first time this season that faculty will join KU's football team as guest coaches for pregame and game-day activities.
The idea behind faculty members becoming coaches for a day began in the 1970s under coach Don Fambrough, but lasted only a short time, said Paul Buskirk, associate athletic director.
Last season, a member of Terry Allen's staff reintroduced the idea as a way to give teachers a chance to participate in the athletic program. Buskirk said.
he intentionally did not schedule any faculty members for the first game.
As a guest coach, faculty members experience life with the football team for a day, including eating with the team, attending meetings and standing on the sidelines.
"Everything was still new," he said. "We wanted the players and coaches to concentrate on getting know each other before the game before we invited faculty members."
Between two and five faculty members usually participate in each home game. Buskirk said that
Kathryn Tuttle, director of the freshman, sophomore advising center, and her husband, Bill, professor of American studies, were guest coaches last season for the Kansas-Missouri game.
kathryn Tuttle said that she and her husband ate two meals with the team and attended the pregame planning sessions before joining the team on the sidelines.
"I think that one of the more interesting things about that was the actual meeting with the defensive team when they talked about strategy," she said. "I had never been to anything like that before."
Buskirk said participating in tradition was another important aspect of the guest coaches' experiences.
"They are bussed to the Hill where the team walks down to the stadium from the Campanile, and the guest coaches walk right along behind them with the rest of the coaching staff," he said.
Tuttle said that she and her husband were KU football fans and knew what to expect from the game. However, the experience gave them a new perspective about the work of coach Terry Allen and his assistants.
"I can't imagine a rougher job than coaching," she said. "The job that you are doing is on display every week in front of the fans. I got a little more sense of what it is like."
Buskirk said that he was still working on getting commitments from guest coaches this season and that he had received positive responses from the faculty members who participated last season.
"I wasn't expecting any response from the guest coaches, but I got three or four unsolicited phone calls from people saying how much they appreciated it and that it was different than what they expected."
ATTEND THE 1998 BUSINESS CAREER FAIR All Majors Welcome!
KANSAS UNION BALLROOM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Dust off your resume and free the moths from that suit in the back of your closet. In today's business world, networking is everything. The Business Career Fair can provide you with the opportunity to meet influential businesspeople and gain information about companies from across the country. Take this important first step toward finding the job you've always wanted!
- Visit with company representatives
- Distribute your resume
- Explore opportunities in business
- Match your career goals with available jobs
- Browse company displays and literature
- Learn about salaries, benefits,and
- Learn about salaries,benefits opportunities for advancement
Career Fair maps, detailing company locations and current opportunities, are available in our office. Sponsored by the Business Career Services Center, 125 Summerfield Hall.
Call for more information!!!
The University Of Kansas School of Business
(785) 864-5591