Governor’s Conference on Impaired Driving May 3rd-5th

Governor Mead is conducting a conference in Laramie this week about detecting and prosecuting drug impaired drivers. The conference will begin Tuesday May 3rd and go through Thursday May 5th and will be held at The Hilton Garden Inn and Suites.

The following is a release from the Governor's Office describing the topics to be discussed during the three day conference. Wyoming has had a growing epidemic when it comes to drug and alcohol related traffic incidents. It is a topic that has received much debate and officials from around the state have been trying for years to correct the problem. This week Governor Mead will discuss the problems and present ways to hopefully correct the the problem of driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol.

The 2011 Governor’s Conference on Impaired Driving will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn & UW Conference Center in Laramie May 3rd through May 5th. This year’s conference will focus on detecting and prosecuting the drug impaired driver. In an effort to deliver the most current training to all attendees, the conference will offer three separate training tracks.

The first track, Prosecuting the Drugged Driver, is designed for Wyoming prosecutors and will be presented by staff from the National Traffic Law Center and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The second track, for peace officers who have only received basic impaired driving enforcement training, will include an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement class as well as a session on eye testing presented by Dr. Jack Richman of the New England College of Optometry. The third track, designed for law enforcement Drug Recognition Experts, will include training sessions on court testimony, toxicology, and the history of the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program.

All three tracks will be brought together on the final day of the conference for an interactive discussion and planning session on the latest changes to Wyoming’s DUI law, recently signed into law by Governor Mead, which will take effect July 1st.

Following the conference sessions on Wednesday May 4, the Governor’s Leadership Team to Prevent Impaired Driving will host the Governor’s annual Awards Banquet to honor those law enforcement officers throughout the state who have demonstrated extraordinary efforts at reducing impaired driving in Wyoming.

Governor Mead has asked Kerry Shatto to present the awards this year. Kerry’s son Shane was one of the eight members of the University of Wyoming cross country team killed by a drunk driver in 2001. “It is an honor for me to have Kerry present the awards this year. Kerry has demonstrated remarkable leadership and resilience in the face of tragedy to help our state become a safer place to drive.”

Governor Mead said that besides the recognition that our law enforcement officers receive for their work, the awards send a clear signal to those who continue to drive impaired that our state does not tolerate such activity – that we are serious about preventing impaired driving. The “Top 100 Peace Officers” removed over 3000 impaired drivers from our roadways last year.

“These officers arguably saved many lives, and we are so grateful to them”, said Mead.