HawkEye™ Video Portal

Watch Videos of Impaired Eyes

Video Portal Shows Sober and Impaired Eyes.

Three volunteers participated in an alcohol workshop. The were tested with HawkEye™ before they began drinking. The sober videos are on this site. After these volunteers had 'too much to drink' they were tested again. These results are shown as well.

In these cases, their level of impairment was measured independently

Impaired by drugs - other than alcohol

Video shows eye behavior for subjects impaired by Marijuana (Canabis)

Video shows eye behavior for subjects impaired by Heroin

Video shows eye behavior for subjects impaired by PCP

Videos are available for members only

Driving While Impaired

HawkEye™ helps detect people who drive while impaired

Driving under the influence of drugs, other than alcohol, is increasing!

Driving under the influence of cannabis has doubled since 1989 and young males are driving under the influence of cannabis as often as or more often than they drive under the influence of alcohol. Researchers analyzed data from a 2004 survey to help fill the research gap between what we know about drugs and driving and what we know about alcohol and driving. Some of the findings are contained in the report, entitled Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis:

• 4.8% of drivers responding to the survey reported driving within two hours of using cannabis in the previous 12 months, a figure which has more than doubled since comparable studies done in 1988 and 1989.
• Males were 3.6 times more likely than females to drive under the influence of cannabis.
• Among those who reported driving under the influence of cannabis in the last year, the mean number of self-reported occurrences was 24.5.
• People who reported driving under the influence of cannabis also reported consuming higher-than-average amounts of alcohol. This is a significant point, since combining cannabis with even small amounts of alcohol significantly increases the observed level of impairment.

Young cannabis users may not perceive their driving ability to be adversely affected after using cannabis, or at least less affected than after consuming alcohol. Many young people also believe that it is difficult for police to detect and charge drivers for driving after cannabis use.

HawkEye helps DRE detect canabis impairment.

DRE

Drug Recognition Expert

Dick Studdard - Worlds first DRE!

In the early 1960s, a gang member, who was under the influence of drugs, collided with Dick Studdard's friend, killing him. "I held the hand of my friend when he died," said Studdard, a retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department.

"Then I had to notify his family." The gang member never faced any charges because the police had no tests available to detect his drug impairment. "I thought that was wrong," Studdard said.

From that point on, Studdard, focused on developing a reliable drug recognition test. The DRE testing criteria that police officers use today is a combination of many existing tests. "I developed it over the years," he said. "It didn't happen over night. It started with 12 officers at LAPD and now it is used worldwide," Some 10,000 officers have received DRE training and, of those, 9,000 are from police agencies around the country and Canada.

Officers perform the 12-step DRE evaluation at their station to identify, for example, whether a person used depressants, stimulants or hallucinogens. "There are a few officers who can detect a particular drug" based on their extensive experience, Studdard said. "A lot of times, drug users will consume alcohol to mask their illegal drug impairment."

Studdard has been an adviser during the making of the HawkEye device to ensure that it met police standards. The device magnifies the eyes' signs of the impairment and records them. "It is just recording what you see," he said. An officer performs other tests to identify the impairment. HawkEye will help the officers prove their cases better in the eyes of the court. Instead of testifying what they have seen, they can show to a judge the recorded images of the eyes.

Pupil Scale

Part of the Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST) requires the officer to estimate the size of the subject's pupils.

To assist with this vital measurement, HawkEye is equiped with a video pupil scale that overlays the video of the eyes.

HawkEye™ also provides a blackout hood. See the behavior of the eyes as hood covers the HawkEye. Normal eyes dilate when placed in the dark and return to 'normal' size when the hood is removed and normal light returns.

Symptoms of impairment can show up in the eyes

Amphetamines result in dilated pupils

Cocaine and Crack users often have pupil dilation

Ecstasy can cause blurred vision

Heroin users may have constricted pupils, droopy eyelids and impaired night vision.

Marijuana can appear as Bloodshot eyes

Drug Evaluation and Classification

The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program is a transportation safety program focusing on the detection, apprehension and adjudication of drug-impaired drivers. The program is managed and coordinated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation

The DEC program began in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, California. It was developed initially by the Los Angeles Police Department as a means of dealing with the increased number of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. Through the program's success it later expanded to other states and eventually into Canada and other countries.

DEC Program Training

The DEC program trains police officers and other public safety officials as drug recognition experts or drug recognition evaluators (DREs) through a three-phase training curriculum:

• Drug Recognition Expert Pre-School
• Drug Recognition Expert School(56 hours)
• Drug Recognition Expert Field Certification (Approximately 40 - 60 hours)

The training relies heavily on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), which provide the foundation for the DEC program. HawkEye™ can be used effectively during DRE training to assist DRE officers knowing what to observe in eye movements. Trained and certified DREs become highly effective officers skilled in the detection and identification of persons impaired or affected by alcohol and/or other drugs. DREs are trained to conduct a standardized and systematic 12-step evaluation consisting of physical, mental and medical components. Because of the complexity and technical aspects of the DRE training, not all police officers may be suited for the training. Experience has shown that by training a well defined group of officers proficient in impaired driving enforcement works well and can be very effective.

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Discussion Forum

Impaired by Alcohol

Comments about HGN and SFST related to drunk with alcohol

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