1988: In 1988, the State Police commits to the Drug Recognition Program and trains selected Troopers to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs in addition to alcohol. The DRE program was established in the late 1970s when the Los Angles Police Department Officers noticed that many of the individuals arrested for Driving Under the Influence had very low or zero alcohol concentrations. These officers reasonably suspected that the subjects were under the influence of drugs but they did not have the training to support such suspicions.
In response, two LAPD sergeants worked with medical doctors, research psychologist and other professionals to develop a simple, standardized procedure for the recognition of drug influence and impairment. This research lead to the development of a multi-step protocol and the initial DRE program in 1979.
In the 1980s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the LAPD collaborated with one another and developed a standardized DRE protocol.