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Our SUNY Canton

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Volunteers Drink at SUNY Canton to Teach Future Police
 

 The David Sullivan Police Academy at SUNY Canton enlisted the help of legal aged volunteers to help cadets learn how to identify the signs of a person who has been drinking and determine if that person should be driving.

"Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) is one of the most important training exercises for police officers," said Sgt. Alan Huckle, of the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Department." They actually get to see how intoxicated people react to the tests they administer."

 Jessica Woodrow, 21, a SUNY Canton Criminal Investigation student from Buffalo, was one of seven volunteers to participate in the David Sullivan Police Academy Standard Field Sobriety Testing. Woodrow also had the chance to celebrate her coming of age in a safe and controlled environment. During her test, Woodrow failed to convince the Police Academy cadets she had only drunk two beers. Pictured are (from left) are Mark Whalen a Police Academy Cadet from Endicott, Woodrow, and Rebekah S. McMillan a Police Academy Cadet from Massena.

Under a strictly monitored and controlled environment, SUNY Canton students and staff raised an assortment of donated alcoholic beverages high to toast one another. St. Lawrence County David Sullivan Law Enforcement Academy Assistant Director Steven Livernois was one of the bartenders for the event. Livernois said he had to write down the exact time and quantity of each participant's beverage. Two designated drivers also volunteered to make certain everyone involved had a safe ride home.

The controlled barroom was filled with hearty cheers of the participants, whom after approximately two hours of the experimental drinking, seemed to have completely forgotten they were helping the greater good of future police officers.

In at least one case the SFST exercise provided a safe and controlled environment to celebrate a SUNY Canton student's coming of age. "It's my twenty-first birthday," said Jessica Woodrow, a SUNY Canton Public Safety Criminal Investigation student from Buffalo.

The SFST was co-sponsored by the St. Lawrence County Stop DWI program. Michele James, Coordinator of Stop DWI and a 1981 graduate of SUNY Canton, was on hand to help monitor the student drinkers. "St. Lawrence County Stop DWI helps combat drunk driving through a combination of increased enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, education, rehabilitation and public information," James said. She said the participants would also further realize their own limits, and would hopes they will never get behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking.

As the student drinkers joined voices in a spirited although slightly off-key rendition of Queen's classic "We Are the Champions," Livernois and Huckle signaled the end of the drinking portion of the SFST. Each student was given a breathalyzer test to create a point of reference for their performance in the upcoming sobriety tests.

Then came the moment of reckoning for the Police Academy cadets. Each drinker was coached into claiming to officers that they had only drunk one or two beers. Each cadet had to perform a series of tests to see if they could determine whether or not the drinker's blood alcohol content was above the legal limit.

Although results of the tests varied with each of the drinkers, no one passed the first eye test. Each cadet held up a pen and had their subject follow it with their eyes and not move their heads. Pens were slowly waved up and down and back and forth and the drinkers showed telltale signs of their past activities. "You see how their eyes ratchet or skip?" asked Livernois. "There really isn't any way you can cheat at this test."

The drinkers were also asked to walk nine steps heel to toe in a straight line and execute a three point turn. A few subjects had to be steadied by the cadets, as they listed from left to right.

Alcohol was donated by A.J. Misserts Inc. of Ogdensburg, and A. Cappione Inc. of Massena. Both St. Lawrence County Stop DWI and the Police Academy wanted to thank the two beverage distributors for their continued support and generous contributions to the law enforcement.

March 21, 2005

Media inquiries may be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315.386.7300.

2005 News Releases