DETROIT – A second phase of roadside drug testing will begin Tuesday, Michigan State Police announced.

According to police, Michigan has seen a steady increase in fatal crashes involving drivers impaired by drugs in recent years. In 2018, there were 247 drug-involved traffic fatalities.

"The Michigan State Police conducted a one-year Oral Fluid Roadside Analysis Pilot program, which concluded in November 2018, in five counties -- Berrien, Delta, Kent, St. Clair and Washtenaw. The initial pilot provided valuable data on the performance of the oral fluid test instrument when coupled with law enforcement observed driver behavior and standardized field sobriety tests, but the overall sample size was too small to draw any definitive conclusions on the tool’s usefulness for law enforcement," reads a statement from state police.

During that trial period between November 2017 and November 2018, state police said officers conducted 92 oral tests and 74 came back positive for marijuana. However, five of the positive tests came back as false positive after a blood test.

In Dec. 2018, the Michigan Legislature agreed to support the ongoing funding of the oral fluid pilot

and the expansion of the pilot program to additional interested, qualified counties around the state.

An appropriation of $626,000 for the extension of the Oral Fluid Roadside Analysis Pilot Program was

included in the supplemental funding bill that became Public Act 618 of 2018.

How it works

According to state police, under the pilot program a drug recognition expert (DRE) may require a person to submit to a preliminary oral fluid analysis to detect the presence of a controlled substance in the person’s body if they suspect the driver is impaired by drugs. The preliminary oral fluid analysis will be conducted by a DRE on the person’s oral fluid, obtained by mouth swab, and will be administered along with the drug recognition 12-step evaluation currently used by DREs.

The oral fluid test instrument tests for the presence of the following drugs: amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis (delta 9 THC), cocaine, methamphetamines and opiates.

Refusal to submit to a preliminary oral fluid analysis upon lawful demand of a police officer is a civil infraction.

State police said DREs are police officers who have received highly specified training that allows them to identify drivers impaired by drugs. Although the pilot program is being organized and managed by the MSP, DREs employed by county, township and municipal police agencies are also involved.

Participating law enforcement agencies include:

Adrian Township Police Department

Allegan County Sheriff’s Department

Alma Department of Public Safety

Alpena Police Department

Ann Arbor Police Department

Auburn Hills Police Department

Battle Creek Police Department

Bay City Police Department

Bay County Sheriff’s Office

Berrien County Sheriff’s Office

Bloomfield Township Police Department

Cadillac Police Department

Canton Township Police Department

Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office

Chikaming Township Police Department

Clawson Police Department

Dearborn Police Department

Escanaba Department of Public Safety

Gogebic County Sheriff’s Office

Grand Blanc Township Police Department

Grand Haven Department of Public Safety

Grand Rapids Police Department

Grand Valley State University Police Department

Greenville Department of Public Safety

Hamburg Township Police Department

Imlay City Police Department

Ingham County Sheriff’s Office

Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Department

Kent County Sheriff’s Office

Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Lapeer Police Department

Lincoln Township Police Department

Livonia Police Department

Macomb County Sheriff’s Department

Marquette County Sheriff’s Office

Menominee Police Department

Michigan State Police

Midland Police Department

Monroe Department of Public Safety

Mt. Pleasant Police Department

Muskegon Police Department

Novi Police Department

Oscoda Township Police Department

Petoskey Department of Public Safety

Pokagon Tribal Police

Port Huron Police Department

Roscommon County Sheriff’s Department

Southfield Police Department

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

Troy Police Department

University of Michigan Police Department

Washtenaw Co Sheriff’s Office

Wayland Police Department

Western Michigan University Department of Public Service

Ypsilanti Police Department

You can see the full pilot program report below: