United States Department of TransportationLocation
DOT HeadquartersDrug-Impaired Driving Kickoff Summit
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kicked off its drug-impaired driving initiative on Thursday, March 15, with a summit that brought together key stakeholders, including safety partners, data and policy experts, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, toxicologists and drug recognition experts to start a national dialogue on how to combat drug-impaired driving. Drug-impaired driving is against the law in all 50 States, and NHTSA is making the drug-impaired driving problem a top priority to ensure that U.S. roads, communities and families are safe from impaired drivers; even as a national opioid epidemic affects our communities, and an increasing number of Americans have access to marijuana.
The summit began with opening remarks by NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King (right), who highlighted the gravity of the issue and recalled her own experience during her time as an emergency medical technician, when she witnessed the devastation caused by drug-impaired driving. Dr. Terry Zobeck, Acting Associate Director for Policy, Research and Budget in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, also provided remarks.
More than 150 people attended the summit, and even more joined via live webcast. Stakeholders attending the meeting included Federal, State, and local government; law enforcement; nonprofits and non-government organizations including MADD, SADD, IIHS and IACP; toxicologists; and vehicle manufacturers.
Throughout the day, participants were invited to add their ideas and input to whiteboards, creating a visual representation of the complexity of the problem – and the diversity of the community committed to solving it.
You can take an up-close look at ideas that participants put on each board below.
Presentations included former Idaho law enforcement officer Jermaine Galloway with his “High in Plain Sight” training, complete with visuals and physical props to show the prevalence of drugs and drug paraphernalia, and how drugs have become integrated in to modern culture. Two panel discussions addressed the scope of the problem and best practices.
Deputy Administrator King wrapped up the session by reviewing suggestions, taking comments and soliciting further input from those viewing online. The sessions are archived and can be viewed below.
Agenda
Meeting Kickoff
- Ms. Heidi King, NHTSA Deputy Administrator (Remarks)
- Dr. Terry Zobeck, ONDCP Acting Associate Director for Policy, Research and Budget
- Officer Jermaine Galloway, Tall Cop Says Stop
Panel Discussions
Scope of the Problem, Dr. Jon Krohmer, moderator
- Dr. Jim Hedlund, Highway Safety North (former NHTSA) (Presentation)
- Lt. Jonlee Anderle (ret.), Wyoming DOT (Presentation)
- Dr. Bob DuPont, Institute for Behavior and Health
Best Practices, Dr. Jeff Michael, moderator
- Ms. Jennifer Harmon, Orange County Crime Lab Toxicologist (Presentation)
- Chief Robert Ticer, Loveland (CO) Police Department (Presentation)
- Mr. Mike Sandoval, New Mexico DOT Drug-Impaired Driving Campaign
- Professor Frankie Tack, Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology, West Virginia University (Presentation)
Lunch/Activity
Call to Action: Charting the Course
- Ms. Heidi King, NHTSA Deputy Administrator (Remarks)
Active Participation
Bios
Ms. Heidi King, NHTSA Deputy Administrator
Heidi King is the Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. She comes to NHTSA with extensive experience in public safety, innovation, risk management, evidence-based decision-making and law enforcement. An economist and research scientist by training, Ms. King parlayed degrees from California Institute of Technology and University of California, Irvine, and her early experience as a California State Park Ranger into a distinguished career in both government and the private sector.
Dr. Terry Zobeck
Terry Zobeck is the Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Policy, Research and Budget (OPRB) within the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). ONDCP, an agency within the Executive Office of the President, leads and coordinates the Nation’s efforts at reducing drug use and its consequences. Dr. Zobeck oversees the production of the National Drug Control Strategy, the Administration’s blueprint for addressing international, interdiction, and domestic law enforcement, prevention, and treatment activities to reduce drug use and its consequences: the Strategy’s Budget Summary and Performance Summary, which details the resources available to implement the Strategy; and the Performance Reporting System Report, which provides an assessment of how well the goals and objectives of the Strategy are being met. As the Acting Deputy Director of OPRB, Dr. Zobeck is responsible for policy implementation and assessment in the areas of public health (prevention, treatment and recovery), public safety, and international; formulation of the budget to support these policies; and the research that guides the formulation, implementation and assessment of these policies. Dr. Zobeck has been with ONDCP since 1996. Prior to his Federal service, he was a substance abuse researcher for 13 years in the private sector, managing contracts with Federal clients, including ONDCP, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Dr. Zobeck received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.
Officer Jermaine Galloway, “The Tall Cop”
Officer Jermaine Galloway was an Idaho law enforcement officer from 1997-2015 and has more than 16 years experience in alcohol and drug education, enforcement and prevention. He is a nationally recognized presenter on drug prevention, education and enforcement. Officer Galloway was He dedicates thousands of hours to community scans, research, and substance abuse identification in large and rural communities across the country. Officer Galloway provides nationwide training on various drug-related topics to coalition members; law enforcement; educators; youth; counselors; probation, treatment, and health professionals; judges; university officials; and community members. He received the national Underage-Drinking Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the national “Mickey Sadoff” underage-drinking prevention award from MADD, the national Enrique Camarena Drug Awareness award from the national Elks Drug Awareness program, and national and international awards from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators for his efforts in Fake ID identification, education and enforcement.
Officer Galloway helped to create “the 10-10 zone,” a program and Boise city ordinance that won a national award from the NLLEA (National Liquor Law Enforcement Association). His program, "You Can't Stop What You Don't Know," was highlighted in the recently released book Clearing the Haze: Helping Families Face Teen Addiction. Officer Galloway was formerly a member of the Idaho impaired-driving task force and is also an Idaho POST certified instructor. He holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco.
Lt. Jonlee Anderle (ret.)
Jonlee Anderle is a retired Lieutenant with the Laramie (Wyoming) Police Department, where he served from 1993 until 2013. After retiring from the LPD, he served as the Impaired-Driving Program Manager for the WYDOT Highway Safety Office until 2017, and he has maintained certification as a Drug Recognition Expert since 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a Master’s in Business Administration and will be completing his Ph.D. in Education at the University of Wyoming in Spring 2018. He has served on the Ivinson Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, the Wyoming Governor's Council on Impaired Driving, the Wyoming Governor's Leadership Team to Prevent Impaired Driving, and the Technical Advisory Panel to the IACP Highway Safety Committee. He has been on the ACPE Federal Credit Union Board of Directors since 2007 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board.
Dr. Robert L. DuPont
For over 40 years, Robert L. DuPont, M.D., has been a leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. He was the first Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1973-1978) and the second White House Drug Chief (1973-1977). From 1968-1970 he was Director of Community Services for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections. From 1970-1973, he served as Administrator of the District of Columbia Narcotics Treatment Administration. In 1978 he became the founding President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, a non-profit research and policy organization that identifies and promotes powerful new ideas to reduce drug use and addiction. A graduate of Emory University, Dr. DuPont received his M.D. from the Harvard Medical School. He completed his psychiatric training at Harvard and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. DuPont maintains an active practice of psychiatry specializing in addiction and anxiety disorders, and has been Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine since 1980.
For more about Dr. DuPont’s work and the Institute for Behavior and Health, visit www.IBHinc.org, www.StopDruggedDriving.org, and www.PreventTeenDrugUse.org.
Dr. Jim Hedlund
Jim Hedlund is Principal, Highway Safety North in Ithaca New York, from where he consults on behavioral traffic safety research, policy, and management. He spent 22 years at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, retiring as Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Programs. His work includes Countermeasures That Work, Drug-Impaired Driving: A Guide for What States Can Do, and Autonomous Vehicles Meet Human Drivers: Traffic Safety Issues for States. Dr. Hedlund received his B.A. in Mathematics from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan.
Ms. Jennifer Harmon
Assistant Director – Forensic Chemistry, Orange County Crime Laboratory, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department
Jennifer Harmon is an Assistant Director at the Orange County Crime Laboratory overseeing the Forensic Chemistry Bureau. She has been a forensic toxicologist for 16 years with the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department and presents for numerous professional organizations at the local, State, and national level. Ms. Harmon is the current president of the California Association of Toxicologists, has testified in front of both the California State Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees, and has been an expert witness in more than 200 criminal and administrative hearings.
Chief Robert Ticer
Robert Ticer is a 28-year veteran law enforcement officer and is currently the Chief of Police in Loveland, Colorado. Prior to this position, he was Chief of Police in Avon, Colorado, for 6 years following a 20-year career with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), where he retired at the rank of Major. Chief Ticer completed assignments in the Highway Patrol Division, Media Relations Office, Director’s Office, Criminal Investigations Division, and a 1-year fellowship at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington, DC.
Chief Ticer holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s of Education degree from Northern Arizona University, is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, and the FBI National Academy. The chief chairs the Colorado Task Force on Drunk and Impaired Driving, is a member of the IACP Highway Safety Committee, where he serves as the Chairman of the DRE Technical Advisory Panel, is a certified Drug Recognition Expert Instructor, and is a past president of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police.
Mr. Michael R. Sandoval
Michael Sandoval, Director of New Mexico DOT Modal Divisions, graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He served as the Motor Vehicle Division Director for 2 years, the Highway Safety Division Director for 8 years and has been with State Government for over 23 years including 19 years with the Department of Transportation.
Professor Frankie Tack
Frankie Tack, MS, AADC, CCS, NCC, has worked and taught in the addictions field for over 20 years. She is a West Virginia Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Certified Clinical Supervisor. Her clinical experience includes counseling, supervision and management in detox, outpatient, intensive outpatient and day treatment settings. Her areas of special interest include working with women, the LGBT population and those with co-occurring mental health challenges, as well as providing training for community addictions professionals. Professor Tack is currently the Addictions Minor Coordinator and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Counseling Department at West Virginia University.
Drug-Impaired Driving: The Topic
Read more about the topic of drug-impaired driving, NHTSA's initiative, and related resources to help us drive the conversation forward.