Testifying in DUI Trials: Proper Answers to Defense Questions

Registration Deadline: March 8, 2026

This course has been approved by ILETSB for the following mandates:

Civil Rights - .50
Constitutional Use of LE Authority – 4.0
Legal Updates – 2.50
Procedural Justice - .50

PURPOSE OF COURSE:    
This 8-hour block of training has been specifically designed by Drug Educational Awareness, LLC to provide students with the knowledge to correctly respond to claims made by the defense during cross examination at a DUI trial.     

COURSE OVERVIEW:   
This training is designed for the experienced law enforcement officer who conducts DUI investigations.  It will provide the student with a wide variety of questions often used by defense attorneys in court.  These questions are typically designed to confuse and manipulate an officer to answer in a manner which benefits the defense.  The questions sometimes focus on items that may not be annotated in training manuals nor part of an officer’s typical DUI training.  Regrettably, many of the questions asked by the defense are actually part of the officer’s training and should be answered correctly.  Officers should also be confident answering the predicate questions used by the prosecution to lay the foundation for their testimony.   

Participants attending the training will be engaged with an interactive internet presentation utilizing real-time multiple-choice questions. Responses by the participants will remain anonymous.  Participants will subsequently receive feedback on the accuracy of their responses. A discussion will follow each question to address correct and incorrect answers.     

Each aspect of the DUI detection and arrest process will be addressed.  Officers are often questioned on pharmacology and physiology as it relates to alcohol and drugs.  Eye examinations are particularly relevant to a DUI investigation and defense attorneys may focus their questioning on the officer’s knowledge and procedures.  The final portion of the training will focus on the chemical testing of breath, blood, and urine with an emphasis on answering questions regarding the administrative rules for chemical testing.  Relevant court cases will be highlighted throughout the training.  Emphasis will be placed on providing correct answers to the questions posed by the defense and dispel existing myths.  The objectives for the participants are to:   

•    Accurately answer predicate questions used by the prosecution during direct examination.  
•    Accurately answer questions regarding curriculum provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 
•    Accurately answer questions regarding pharmacology and physiology of alcohol/drugs on the human body.  
•    Accurately answer questions regarding the three phases of the DUI process as described by NHTSA. 
•    Accurately answer questions regarding the validation studies related to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs).      
•    Accurately answer questions regarding eye examinations.  
•    Accurately answer questions regarding Alternate Field Sobriety Testing (AFSTs). 
•    Accurately answer questions regarding the operations of a Preliminary Breath Test instrument(s).        
•    Accurately answer questions regarding evidential chemical tests. 

THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING