HILLSBORO, Mo. (KTVI) – The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri is picking up the tab for booze drinkers.
“We are buying!” the Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
It’s not a joke or a trick, Sheriff Dave Marshak said, but a way for his deputies to get much-needed training. It’s called a “wet lab,” and it’s necessary for deputies’ seeking Standardized Field Sobriety Testing certification.
On Sunday, Marshak put out a call on Facebook and Twitter, asking people to come to the station this week and partake of some alcoholic beverages. Deputies will even give volunteers a ride home.
“Seriously, we buy, you drink, and we provide your transportation home (not jail),” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Here’s the catch: Before the ride home and after “1-2 of hours of drinking,” the volunteers — specifically day drinkers due to the test schedule — will help the deputies test their field sobriety training.
“You should probably be a causal drinker, and will need to have normal balance with no standing or walking limitations,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
The training sessions will be conducted Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons and will involve three or four volunteers each day.
“We can provide wine, beer, or liquor. While we will not be providing Pappy Van Winkle, we promise not to serve you cheap wine or rail liquor,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “We appreciate our volunteers more than that.”
After volunteers “drink and socialize,” officers will conduct field sobriety checks. If they think a volunteer is over the legal drinking limit, the person will take a breathalyzer test to “determine (their) level of intoxication.”
The Sheriff’s Office said the wet lab is not new, saying it has been “the standard for law enforcement certification for decades.”
“This is a fun experience, but its also a professional environment where officers are being evaluated by trained professionals,” the office said.
Volunteers cannot have any alcohol-related arrests or pending criminal cases. They also cannot be on prescription medications that should not mix with alcohol.