FSA provides training and certifies the forensic expertise of those that work in the field of DWI / DUI enforcement and defense, including judges, prosecutors, police trainers, patrol officers, and defense attorneys. It is the most rigorous and advanced credential available in the field of behavioral sobriety assessment.

While the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) trains police officers to assess intoxication, it trains practitioners and technicians. It does not provide training in scientific matters or address the many criticism that have been leveled at the research NHTSA relies upon.

FSA certification requires proficiency in the scientific principles and research relating to sobriety testing in a DWI / DUI stop. It subsumes the NHTSA training (knowledge of the NHTSA manual is required) and greatly extends it. FSA certification requires applicable, practical knowledge of these content areas:

  • NHTSA’s Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs)
  • Testing concepts: Reliability and validity
  • Statistical concepts: Correlation, statistical significance and its meaning
  • Diagnostic statistics (false positive rates, sensitivity, specificity, etc.)
  • Experimental design issues relevant to sobriety test studies
  • Visual science pertaining to the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) sobriety test
  • The scientific literature on sobriety tests apart from the SFSTs
  • The scientific literature on indications of intoxication

Only the first of these topics is taught by NHTSA. Ideally, attorneys, judges, and police officers who deal with DWI cases would be knowledgeable about these topics. FSA seeks to promote this goal by providing an objective appraisal of the scientific evidence and providing training in these areas. FSA Certification is available to those who demonstrate proficiency by passing a rigorous examination.

 

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Forensic Sobriety Assessment (FSA) Certification