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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Cops To Draw Blood w/o Consent

Item: Nampa officers will take blood draws from DUI suspects w/o consent/Idaho Press-Tribune

More Info: Nampa police are being trained so they can take blood draws in the field to determine whether drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Sgt. Matthew Pavelek said in a news release Monday the Police Department recently took part in a program that trains officers to be qualified phlebotomists — blood-draw technicians. The training is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is presented by the College of Western Idaho. Pavelek said that by having police officers trained to take blood, they are able to conduct blood draws on suspected DUI motorists who do not consent to breath or other chemical testing during impaired-driver related investigations.

Question (from Treasured Valley): What do you think of the Nampa Police Department’s plan to involuntarily draw blood from suspects?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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