DRE Documentation & Report Writing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of the DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) evaluation report?
- To document the officer's observations and opinions for legal proceedings (Correct answer)
- To record the subject's criminal history for prosecution
- To summarize the arresting officer's initial stop details only
- To provide medical treatment recommendations for the subject
Correct answer: To document the officer's observations and opinions for legal proceedings
The DRE report serves to document the evaluator's systematic observations, test results, and expert opinion for use as evidence in legal proceedings.
Question 2: Which of the following must be documented on the DRE face sheet?
- The subject's prior DUI convictions
- The date, time, and location of the evaluation (Correct answer)
- The arresting officer's training history
- The subject's prescription medication inventory
Correct answer: The date, time, and location of the evaluation
The DRE face sheet must include the date, time, and location of the evaluation as foundational identifying information for the report.
Question 3: When documenting pupil size in a DRE report, measurements should be recorded in:
- Centimeters under room light only
- Millimeters under three lighting conditions (Correct answer)
- Inches under natural light only
- Percentages relative to a normal baseline
Correct answer: Millimeters under three lighting conditions
Pupil size is measured in millimeters under three standardized lighting conditions: room light, near total darkness, and direct light.
Question 4: In a DRE report, the evaluator's conclusion regarding drug influence should be stated as:
- A definitive diagnosis of the specific drug used
- An opinion based on the totality of observations and test results (Correct answer)
- A guarantee that toxicology will confirm the findings
- A medical certification of impairment
Correct answer: An opinion based on the totality of observations and test results
DRE evaluators are trained to form an opinion based on the totality of their observations, not to make a definitive medical diagnosis.
Question 5: Documentation of the Romberg Balance test in a DRE report should include:
- The subject's blood pressure before and after the test
- The estimated time the subject believes has passed and observed sway (Correct answer)
- Only whether the subject passed or failed
- The GPS coordinates where the test was administered
Correct answer: The estimated time the subject believes has passed and observed sway
For the Romberg Balance test, the DRE documents the subject's internal clock estimate (targeting 30 seconds) and any observed front-to-back or side-to-side sway.
Question 6: Which information about vital signs must be documented in the DRE report?
- Only pulse rate, as it is the most reliable indicator
- Pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, and the time each was taken (Correct answer)
- Vital signs only if they fall outside normal ranges
- Blood pressure and temperature, but not pulse rate
Correct answer: Pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, and the time each was taken
The DRE protocol requires documentation of pulse rate, blood pressure, and body temperature along with the time each measurement was taken.
Question 7: How should a DRE officer document the subject's muscle tone?
- As normal, flaccid, or rigid, with the specific muscle groups examined noted (Correct answer)
- Only as 'impaired' or 'not impaired' for simplicity
- As a numerical score from 1 to 10
- Using only medical terminology approved by a physician
Correct answer: As normal, flaccid, or rigid, with the specific muscle groups examined noted
Muscle tone is documented as normal, flaccid (reduced), or rigid (increased), along with notation of which muscle groups were examined during the evaluation.
DRE Documentation & Report Writing 1
What is the primary purpose of the DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) evaluation report?