Standardized Field Sobriety Testing | Department of Public Safety

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Program Overview

History and Development

Since the mid-1970s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the cooperation and assistance of the law enforcement community, has conducted research that resulted in the development of a battery of three standardized field sobriety tests (horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and the one leg stand) to assist police officers in detecting impaired drivers. The program, which was previously termed Improved Sobriety Testing, was initially developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and was validated in laboratory and field studies conducted by the Southern California Research Institute. Training in how to conduct the tests is included in the NHTSA course DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing.

In 1986, the Advisory Committee on Highway Safety of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) passed a resolution which recommended that law enforcement agencies adopt and implement the field sobriety testing training program developed by NHTSA. As the program has grown, it has become apparent that in order to insure continued success, nationally accepted standards must be established. These standards, which establish criteria for the selection and training of SFST practitioners, would help insure the continued high level of success of the SFST program. In 1992, the IACP Highway Safety Committee recommended the development of this system of nationally accepted standards.

In April of 1992, the IACP and NHTSA sponsored a meeting at the headquarters of IACP in Arlington, Virginia. Persons invited to this meeting included senior SFST instructors from several states, curriculum specialists, and training administrators. The participants met in working groups to reach a consensus concerning the many issues relating to the SFST program and to develop recommended minimum standards to the IACP Advisory Committee on Highway Safety. The standards were drafted and presented to the committee for their review at the midyear meeting in June 1992.

The Advisory Committee on Highway Safety, by resolution, adopted the nationalstandards for the SFST Program. The standards were subsequently approved by voting membership of the IACP. (see standards in program overview)

Maine has adopted the National Standards and has been instructing the SFST curriculum since the early 1990's. Although we do not offer a certification in the SFST program, students that complete the classroom and field evaluations receive a non-lapsing certificate of proficiency in SFST.

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (MeBHS) provides oversight and funding for the SFST program in Maine. The MeBHS works closely with the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) to support the SFST program.

Training and Certification

With 100 certified SFST instructors throughout the State of Maine, a large percentage of Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) SFST training takes place off site. MCJA does offer several in-service classes each year for SFST and SFST refresher training which will be posted in this section.

SFST Refresher Training: (4 hour class)

SFST Refresher training is intended for officers that have previously completed the 24 hour NHTSA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing program and failed to gain proficiency within the 6 month allotted period. Successful completion of this class will allow the officer an additional 6 month period to complete their field evaluations and meet with an instructor to complete the proficiency process. Some officers that have already received proficiency take the class as a refresher.

Justice Planning and Management (JPMA) in conjunction with MeBHS and AAA Northern New England has created an on-line version of the SFST refresher training that is avaiable to any Maine Law Enforcement Officer that has completed the full SFST training curriculum.

MCJA will post upcoming classes throughout the state. If your agency has a need for refresher training and would like to sponsor a class in your region, we can work with you to schedule a class.

SFST Training: (24 hour class)

SFST training is intended for full time officers that will be working in patrol and enforcing impaired driving laws. Officers that complete this class and desire to be deemed proficient in SFST will have 6 months from the end of class to complete 10 field evaluations and meet with an instructor to complete the SFST proficiency exam.

MCJA will post upcoming classes throughout the state. Although MCJA does not often run in-service SFST classes on site, we do run 6 classes per year for the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) students. We frequently have room for 2-3 students to join these classes if they can not find a class regionally.

SFST Instructor Training: (40 hour class)

MCJA offers SFST Instructor training every other year. We alternate years with the Breath Testing Instructor Development program. Students in this class have to have completed MCJA Methods of Instruction (MOI), be very familiar with the SFST curriculum, and have a sincere desire to teach, The 40 hour class involves classroom and live teaching segments.

SFST Training Schedule:

None at this time.

Forms

Manuals

DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST Basic) Manuals:

Feb 2000 -- Student Manual (PDF)
Jan 2002 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)
Sep 2004 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)
Feb 2006 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)
Mar 2013 -- Student Manual (PDF)
May 2013 -- Instructor Manual (PDF)
Oct 2015 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)
Feb 2018 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)
Feb 2023 -- Instructor Manual (PDF), Student Manual (PDF)

DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST Refresher) Manuals:

Instructors

06/1/2022

County List

York			Franklin, Kennebec, Somerset
Chabot	Kevin	Wells PD	Allen	Seth	MSP - Traffic
Cunniff	John	Saco PD	Dinsmore	Ryan	Waterville PD
Gosselin	Christopher	York PD	Drouin	Anthony	Augusta PD
McNeice	Brian	York PD	Fleming	Haley	MSP-C
Parker	Victor	Biddeford PD	Gove	Normand	Gardiner PD
Raymond	Andrew	Sanford PD	Hastings	Ed	Fire Marshal
Richardson	Carlton	MWS Sanford	Heath	Paul	Clinton PD
Schoff	Kevin	Kennebunk PD	Hutchings	Christopher	Augusta PD
Sargent	Ashley	N Berwick PD	Jackson	Joseph	Somerset SO
Wagner	Jason	Buxton PD	Madore	Jason	MSP-C
			Maloon	Tyler	MSP-C
Cumberland			McDonald	Kyle	Waterville PD
Anastasoff	Shawn	Scarborough PD	Petrini	Breanne	MSP Training
Benjamin	Rory	Cape Elizabeth PD	Veilleux	John	Winslow PD
Bernier	Joshua	Brunswick PD
Feeney	Andrew	Cumberland SO	Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, Waldo
Gallant	Eugene	Windham PD	Beal	Joshua	MWS
Hatch	Ted	Gorham PD	Bryan	Eric	Bath PD
Hendee	Scott	Cumberland PD	Finnegan	Edwin	MCJA
Horning	Rachel	BMV - Portland	Greely	James	Searsport PD
Libby	Robert	Judicial Marshal-York	Kane	Brendan	Lincoln SO
Mattox	Scot	Falmouth PD	Olson	Garrett	Sagadahoc SO
Physic	Elgin	MSP-B	Polky	Patrick	Knox SO
Roma	John	Brunswick PD	Sharpe	Matthew	Sagadahoc SO
Shinay	Chris	Portland PD	Simmons	David	MWS-Belfast
Smith	Allisha	Cumberland SO	Smith	Arthur	Knox SO
Thurlow	Kaitlyn	Gorham PD	Smith	Roy	Belfast PD
Thurlow	Michael	Scarborough PD
Welch	Danielle	Cumberland SO	Penobscot, Piscataquis
Williams	Raymond	Windham PD	Angelo	Sarah	Orono PD
Yeaton	Matthew	Falmouth PD	Benjamin	Ed	Holden PD
			Dauphinee	Troy	MWS-Greenville
Androscoggin, Oxford			Day	Stephen	Holden PD
Burkhardt	Jeffrey	Lewiston PD	Everett	Joseph	Brewer PD
Clukey	Brock	MWS Rumford	Farrar	Shannon	Bangor PD
Levesque	Andrew	Lisbon PD	Gauvin	Paul	Brewer PD
Mailhot	Greg	Androscoggin SO	Gray	Christopher	Orono PD
McGee	Ryan	Lisbon PD	Henderson	David	Fire Marshal
Schmieks	Barry	Auburn PD	Kurth	Kari	MSP-E
Winson	Lawrence	Rumford PD	Mangino	Nicholas	MWS-Dexter
			Merrill	Daniel	Orono PD
Aroostook, Washington, Hancock			Miller	Lee	Old Town PD
Cake	Judson	Bar Harbor PD	Miller	William	Hampden PD
Cochran	Chad	Caribou PD	Perry	Jordan	Bangor PD
Dominy	Brian	Acadia Ntl Park	Rackliff	Jeremy	Piscataquis SO
Dupuis	Dakota	Hancock SO	Rusby	Tyler	Bangor PD
Hayes	Christopher	Presque Isle PD	Stuart	Jason	Bangor PD
Mote	Kelvin	Ellsworth PD	Turcotte	Aaron	MSP-Traffic
Rudolph	Eric	MWS Ellsworth	Walsh	John	Penobscot SO

Listed Alphabetically

Last Name	First Name	Agency	Last Name	First Name	Agency
Allen	Seth	MSP Traffic	Madore	Jason	MSP - C
Anastasoff	Shawn	Scarborough PD	Mailhot	Gregory	Androscoggin SO
Angelo	Sarah	Orono PD	Maloon	Tyler	MSP - C
Beal	Joshua	MWS	Mangino	Nicholas	MWS Newport
Benjamin	Rory	Cape Elizabeth PD	Mattox	Scot	Falmouth PD
Benjamin	Ed	Holden PD	McDonald	Kyle	Waterville PD
Bernier	Joshua	Brunswick PD	McGee	Ryan	Lisbon PD
Bryan	Eric	Bath PD	McNeice	Brian	York PD
Burkhardt	Jeffrey	Lewiston PD	Merrill	Daniel	Orono PD
Cake	Judson	Bar Harbor PD	Miller	Lee	Old Town PD
Chabot	Kevin	Wells PD	Miller	William	Hampden PD
Clukey	Brock	MWS Rumford	Mote	Kelvin	Ellsworth PD
Cochran	Chad	Caribou PD	Olson	Garrett	Sagadahoc SO
Cunniff	John	Saco PD	Parker	Victor	Biddeford PD
Dauphinee	Troy	MWS - Greenville	Perry	Jordan	Bangor PD
Day	Stephen	Holden PD	Petrini	Breanne	MSP-Training
Dinsmore	Ryan	Waterville PD	Physic	Elgin	MSP-B
Dominy	Brian	Acadia Ntl Park	Polky	Patrick	Knox SO
Drouin	Anthony	Augusta PD	Rackliff	Jeremy	Piscataquis SO
Dupuis	Dakota	Hancock SO	Raymond	Andrew	Sanford PD
Everett	Joseph	Brewer PD	Richardson	Carlton	MWS Sanford
Farrar	Shannon	Bangor PD	Roma	John	Brunswick PD
Feeney	Andrew	Cumberland SO	Rudolph	Eric	MWS Ellsworth
Finnegan	Edwin	MCJA	Rusby	Tyler	Bangor PD
Fleming	Haley	MSP-C	Sargent	Ashley	N Berwick PD
Gallant	Eugene	Windham PD	Schoff	Kevin	Kennebunk PD
Gauvin	Paul	Brewer PD	Schmieks	Barry	Auburn PD
Gosselin	Christopher	York PD	Sharpe	Matthew	Sagadahoc SO
Gove	Normand	Gardiner PD	Shinay	Chris	Portland PD
Gray	Christopher	Orono PD	Simmons	David	MWS Belfast
Greely	James	Searsport PD	Smith	Alisha	Cumberland SO
Hastings	Edward	Fire Marshal	Smith	Arthur	Knox SO
Hatch	Theodore	Gorham PD	Smith	Roy	Belfast PD
Hayes	Christopher	Presque Isle PD	Stuart	Jason	Bangor PD
Heath	Paul	Clinton PD	Thurlow	Kaitlyn	Gorham PD
Hendee	Scott	Cumberland PD	Thurlow	Michael	Scarborough PD
Henderson	David	Fire Marshal	Turcotte	Aaron	MSP Traffic
Horning	Rachel	BMV	Veilleux	John	Winslow PD
Hutchings	Christopher	Augusta PD	Wagner	Jason	Buxton PD
Jackson	Joseph	Somerset SO	Walsh	John	Penobscot SO
Kane	Brendan	Lincoln SO	Welch	Danielle	Cumberland SO
Kurth	Kari	MSP - E	Williams	Raymond	Windham PD
Levesque	Andrew	Lisbon PD	Winson	Lawrence	Rumford PD
Libby	Robert	Judicial Marshal	Yeaton	Matthew	Falmouth PD