AUSTIN, Texas — Drivers suspected of driving while intoxicated in Austin may face a different process than in most other places.
The Austin Police Department (APD) recently launched a program that has trained some officers on how to draw blood so it can be tested for alcohol. APD Lt. William White said drawing blood for DWIs has traditionally been done by EMS medics.
“We had EMS personnel that worked overtime at the jail, and they would assist us when we had either consent or a search warrant to draw blood. They would be the ones to draw it,” White said.
Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) Division Chief Eric Jakubauskas said his agency helps on a volunteer basis, but everything changed during the pandemic.
“We’re still reeling from the whole impacts of COVID," Jakubauskas said. "Staffing shortages ... We saw our volunteer numbers dropping ... APD had to look for other alternatives.”
According to White, ATCEMS sometimes won't be at the Travis County booking facility for half the week. When medics aren't there to draw blood, suspects are taken to a hospital, which could take hours.
“Every minute that the blood is not being drawn, we're losing evidence because it's metabolizing,” White said.
Austin police decided to save time and train officer to draw the blood themselves. Texas law for taking blood says you do not have to be a phlebotomist to draw blood to determine blood alcohol content. You just have to be certified and have it done in a sterile place.
“An agency in Texas had been doing it for several years ... called Dalworthington [Gardens], up near Arlington,” White said. “As long as you receive the proper training and credentialing, that person can draw blood."
White said four APD officers, already trained in DWI law and recognizing drugs, underwent 50 hours of training with Arlington's police medical chief and Austin's medical chief. The program launched in February and included classroom time with practical hands-on experience before the officers could be certified.
White said it's not much different than collecting evidence, and the procedure of drawing blood will be the same as when medics draw blood.
“They’re not going to be pulling people over, trying to draw blood on the side of the road,” White said.
According to White, the blood drawing will be done at the Travis County booking facility, in a room specifically for drawing blood, where it has always been done. However, he said the new program will save time, resources and lives.
“It gets the officers back out on the street," White said. "It saves us time from having to have an EMS truck come down ... It saves hospital personnel from having to deal with it. A timesaver all around for everybody."
APD said it has more than 3,000 DWI-related arrests a year and that one-third of deadly crashes are caused by impaired driving. Currently, the four qualified officers work Fridays to draw blood, but eventually, APD wants to train more people to do it.