Law Enforcement
Phlebotomy Program

Mission

The mission of the Arizona Department of Public Safety Phlebotomist is to provide law enforcement with a safe, secure means to collect blood for evidentiary purposes, using training and experience, and to accomplish this with integrity and accountability to the citizens of the State of Arizona.

History

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is committed to the apprehension and prosecution of impaired drivers. Successful prosecution depends on many aspects of the criminal investigation. One aspect is the collection of breath, blood, or other bodily substance as evidence in prosecution.

Arizona law allows for qualified persons to draw blood for the purposes of blood alcohol or drug screening. Blood evidence is obtained by persons who have specialized training in the procedures to draw blood. This person is called a phlebotomist.

In 1995, officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety set upon a course to become phlebotomists. This groundbreaking program was the first of its kind in the United States. These officers attended classes at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon completion of these courses, the officers at the Arizona Department of Public Safety began drawing blood for purposes of detection of drugs in alcohol in the investigation of impaired drivers.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety then began a program to get more officers and civilian employees trained in phlebotomy. Phoenix College created a pilot program to train law enforcement personnel in phlebotomy using a specialized, Arizona Peace Officer Standardized Training certified "Phlebotomy for Law enforcement" program. This program is an intensive, hands-on 40 hour course of instruction that teaches law enforcement personnel across the state the accurate, up to date phlebotomy procedures and techniques required to achieve the title " Law Enforcement Phlebotomist."

The Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program was soon to be challenged in the court system, when phlebotomy and the collection of blood evidence was called into question. A recent Arizona Appellate Court decision states that a person who draws blood must be qualified to do so. Those qualifications need not require any formal certification, only training and experience. A phlebotomist, properly trained, is considered a qualified person to draw blood. This landmark decision has held up to many challenges, and has set a precedence that may soon expand the Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program nationwide.

The Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program Today

The Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program today has expanded to include local and county agencies across the state of Arizona. The state of Arizona is recognized nationally as a leader in law enforcement phlebotomy. The Arizona Department of Public Safety provides officers and civilian employees to teach at Phoenix College, Pima College in Tucson, and Coconino County College in Flagstaff, in order to pass along the knowledge and experience of phlebotomy to other law enforcement personnel. The course of instruction has expanded to include not only Phoenix College, but other institutions, such as Pima College in Tucson, and Coconino College in Flagstaff.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has over 100 certified phlebotomists statewide. Every Highway Patrol District and each county in the State of Arizona has at least one phlebotomist assigned. In 2004, Arizona Department of Public Safety Phlebotomists performed 1969 blood draws for investigational purposes.

Statewide Partnerships

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is proud to be the leader in law enforcement phlebotomy. The success of the program in due to multi-agency partnerships that have expanded the program to make it what it is today. The Arizona Department of Public Safety would like to acknowledge the following police agencies across the State of Arizona and in the Western United States that participate in the Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program:

This information is courtesy of http://www.dps.state.az.us/