A Marshall County officer will attend Drug Recognition Training following an out-of-state request approved by the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning.
Sheriff Matt Hassell explained that the officer will go to training for nine days in Indianapolis in January and if he successfully completes that training, he will pursue additional training in Florida for a couple of weeks in March.
“He’ll work right in the jail there testing individuals that are brought in and then he’ll be graded on how well he identified the drug that the individual was on and how accurate was he,” explained Hassel.
Hassel said this training is critical especially with some of the cases they’re dealing with in Marshall County.
“With today’s operating while intoxicated, we’re running into more drugs than we are with alcohol. This will give us the identification we need to pursue criminal charges on people who are actually under the influence of a drug, a narcotic, or even prescription drugs. You can be charged if it affects your operating ability.”
The Indiana State Police will pay for the training, minus the cost of travel.
