Holiday season or not, police officers specializing in detecting impaired motorists are looking to pin down delinquent drivers, as is the case this weekend, at the dawn of spring break in the greater Montreal area and in its surroundings.
“We intervene constantly and year-round […] There are no more during the holiday season, it’s all the time, ”warns Mathieu Synnott, provincial coordinator in impaired capacities for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
For the evenings from Thursday to Saturday, several traffic checks in different areas of Greater Montreal are on the schedule. The SQ, with the collaboration of other municipal bodies, could be present for example in Mont-Tremblant, where many American tourists are expected, or in the Dix30 district, in Brossard.
You should know that “assessing officers” will be sent to the field, ie police officers who have undergone extensive training to assess motorists who have consumed narcotics, inhaled substances or even hallucinogens.
As part of its Influence Squad, the SQ has been inviting troops working outside Quebec’s major cities since January for alcohol and drug operations. The objective: to fill up on knowledge with their colleagues in greater Montreal.
“That’s what we’re aiming for by bringing them here. It’s so that they come back to their region with new experiences, new drugs or new kinds of interventions”, indicates the agent Synnott.
MARTIN ALARIE / MONTREAL JOURNAL
Mathieu Synnott, provincial coordinator in impaired capacities for the Sûreté du Québec.
The newspaper was also in the front row, Thursday evening, on Souligny Avenue, near Dickson Street, to observe the work of the appraising agents, some of whom came from Centre-du-Québec or Bas-Saint-Laurent.
Here’s what could happen to you at a roadblock
Good weather or bad weather, the police, with the flashing lights of their vehicle clearly visible, will slow down the traffic to approach each driver.
During our visit, some motorists had to pull over to the side of the road after the first observations of the police. One of them, for example, had to have his vehicle towed because he had an invalid license.
“We look at a bit of everything. Yes alcohol and drugs, but there is also that at the same time”, agrees Sergeant Camille Savoie.
Other drivers were also brought to a safe location for testing. This was the case of a young man in his twenties with red eyes, whose vehicle gave off the smell of cannabis. His balance and concentration were put to the test.
“I miss a little to proceed to his arrest, explains to the Log the policeman who examined the young man. In this case, we are going to give him a good moral for drug use while driving, that we have no tolerance on that.
In the event that the individual would have been handcuffed, he would have been brought back to a position to once again face the evaluating officer.
“It’s a bit paramedic. He takes the pulse with an armband, body temperature, blood pressure, he checks the size of the pupils, ”explains Mathieu Synnott.
MARTIN ALARIE / MONTREAL JOURNAL
Assessing officers are usually called to intervene in a police station after a motorist has been stopped by a patrol officer who had reasonable grounds to doubt the citizen’s condition. As part of this intervention, they are deployed in the field.
Who are these expert police?
Police officers wishing to deepen their knowledge of impaired faculties in order to become “assessing officers” must follow a training course that extends over two months. This expertise has been accessible since 2008.
They are usually called to intervene in a police station after a motorist has been stopped by a patrolman who had reasonable grounds to doubt the state of the citizen.
The officer will initiate a series of medical tests which may take up to 45 minutes.
“He will bring proof of abilities impaired by a drug and at the end he will collect a sample of urine or blood from the person to find out what he has in his system, explains Mathieu Synnott. He [pourrait] testify as an expert in court.
Some figures and trends
– There are 83 evaluating officers within the Sûreté du Québec, and a total of 189 in all the police forces of the province.
“We do everything we can to train them,” says Mathieu Synnott, provincial coordinator in impaired capacities for the Sûreté du Québec. Currently, it meets the demand.
– More than 50% of impaired capacity events are the result of citizen denunciations. “These are our eyes and our ears”, illustrates the agent Synnott.
– Stimulants, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, are among the most tested drugs, ahead of cannabis, as popular belief would have it.
– During roadside checks, the police can do a random, reasonable doubt alcohol test.