Wisconsin Police Officers Could Begin Drawing Blood From Suspects

Friday, November 3rd, 2023 -- 10:01 AM

(By Jonah Beleckis, Wisconsin Public Radio) Next year, Wisconsin police officers could begin drawing blood from suspects instead of having medical workers do the work, the top toxicologist at the State Laboratory of Hygiene said this week.

According to Jonah Beleckis with Wisconsin Public Radio, during an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio’s "The Morning Show," state toxicologist Amy Miles said training and certifying police as phlebotomists would reduce the burden on busy hospitals.

"The last thing we want to do is pull those key personnel away from that job and then have them perform a legal blood draw when, really, anyone can be trained to perform a very typical legal blood draw from the arm," Miles said.

When police suspect illegal drug or alcohol use, such as when people are driving, officers may request a blood draw or ask a judge to require it. Wisconsin would join nearly a dozen states where officers are trained to draw blood and could learn from programs that have existed for more than 20 years, Miles said. She received advice to start small and gradually train more officers.

Training could start in the spring or summer, Miles said. Individual agencies would likely decide if officers are paid more for the certification. Miles plans to implement a new way of testing for intoxication, too. She said a new oral fluid test would be minimally invasive and similar to a breathalyzer test.

The oral fluid test would take about five minutes or less. She said officers can complete the test in their cars or at nearby stations if it’s snowing or raining. The test would provide immediate, preliminary results. An additional blood test would provide more official results and could be introduced as evidence in court, she said.

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