CCSO HOSTS DWI REFRESHER TRAINING FOR AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT

WYNNE - Law enforcement agencies from across Eastern Arkansas participated Friday in a DWI refresher course at the Bill Thomas Tech Center.

The training was hosted by the Cross County Sheriff's Office.

"We are continuously looking for drunk drivers. Nowadays, you have seen it increase simply because of the medical marijuana. We're seeing more and more people get behind the wheel. It is a constant battle and we're always looking for training," said Chief Deputy Larry Jones. "It's not very often that we get this kind of training, especially in Eastern Arkansas. When we had the opportunity, we jumped on it. Hopefully, the guys are going to take a ton of information back out on the road and be able to use it to help protect the cities and the counties that they patrol in."

The class was led by attorney John Collins of Collins & Ray in Little Rock. Collins is the current president of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association and has even wrote a book on the subject as the author of the Arkansas DWI Trial Practice Manual.

Collins said the training concerned what law enforcement should be looking for during DWI-related traffic stops.

"We all know that DWIs are serious. We all know that DWIs can kill people. We all know that, but what we forget sometimes is that just because somebody had something to drink doesn't mean they're drunk," he said. "Officers are required to make a decision on arrest or don't arrest. You've got a situation where an officer can make an arrest based on probable cause and then there's no enough proof beyond a reasonable doubt. That's just the way our system is set up because officers have to air on the side of keeping society safe. But the courts - jurors and judges - have to air on the side of protecting innocence and so you get in a situation where people can be found not guilty even though the officer made a good arrest."

Collins said DWIs are among the most argued cases before the U.S Supreme Court.

"There are many U.S. Supreme Court cases on DWIs probably more so than any other misdemeanor crime because DWIs are based on someone's opinion. Any time you have a crime based on someone's opinion - and people say well it's not just their opinion, they've had training. Yes, most officers get generally three days of training. That's why I say we really create this impossible situation for the police where we expect them to keep us safe but then don't always have enough tools for them to use."