Advanced Drug Recognition Expert Course

Speaker Bio Sketches

Dick Studdard, LAPD Ret.

Dick Studdard is the developer of the Drug Recognition Expert Program. Dick retired from the LAPD in 1990. He continues to be involved in the DRE program. Dick has conducted numerous research studies regarding drugs and impairment, included the original SFST studies, the Johns Hopkins DRE Study, as well as the LAPD DRE Program Field study, among many others. Dick has lectured both nationally and internationally on drugs, drug recognition and drug impairment. He was instrumental in developing the first DRE curriculum. He has been recognized as an expert in drugs and impairment in numerous courts nationwide. Dick is the co-founder of Ocular Data Systems, which produces the DAX recording device. Anyone familiar with the DRE Program knows who Dick Studdard is.

Dr. Jack Richman

Dr. Richman is Professor Emeritus at the New England College of Optometry and has lectured widely, both in this country and internationally. His primary clinical research interests are in children’s vision, vision dysfunction and reading, the effect of nervous system impairment on eye movements, and visual attention dysfunction. He has published approximately sixty articles and book chapters on these subjects. Dr. Richman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate in the Section on Pediatric Optometry, Binocular Vision and Perception, a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development Certified in Vision Therapy, and a member of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association. He lectures on pharmacology of the central nervous system and drugs of abuse and their effect on the eyes. For over more than 45 years, he has practiced clinically in the care of children and acquired brain injured patients. He has professionally served as a a full professor and lecturer in three Colleges of Optometry. Clinically, he has also served as Chief of the Pediatric Optometry and Binocular Vision service at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, The Michigan College of Optometry, and the New England Eye Institute in Boston, MA. Presently, he is retired from full time practice. He continues to serve on the consulting staff at Spaulding Rehabilitation Boston and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod. Dr. Richman's interest in binocular vision disorders and eye movements has involved research and teaching in the use of eye movements used in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and the use of pupil measurements for detecting drug and fatigue impairment. Among the over fifty five published articles in his field, he has also published articles on HGN and Pupil assessment as it relates to law enforcement and impaired driving. He is an active and certified Standardized Field Sobriety instructor, a former Drug Recognition Expert / Instructor, and is a DRE Emeritus. He served as the medical consultant to the National Highway Safety Committee’s Technical Advisory Panel of the International Association of Chiefs of Police for over fifteen years. Dr. Richman is often called upon throughout the United States to serve as an expert witness in many criminal cases on involving impaired driving, field sobriety testing, and assessment protocols. He serves a police physician for the Hingham Police department and Hingham Police Department in Massachusetts.

Dr. Wook Beltran

Gerald Beltran, DO, MPH, MSIS, MSCJA, FACEP, FAEMS works as a physician and clinical scientist with expertise in Emergency and Emergency prehospital medicine. Dr. Beltran has rendered aid and care to patients with medical and traumatic ailments in both the hospital and prehospital environments with increased attention on improving patient care through healthcare integration. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and a Fellowship in EMS (Prehospital and Disaster Medicine) at Emory University. He has been working clinically teaching residents, medical students, paramedics and EMTs, first responders, paramedic students, first responder students, and advanced practitioners about acute and emergency medical care for over 15 years. Dr. Beltran’s first career was in law enforcement and he has over 13 years of law enforcement experience, including drug investigations and as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). He has lectured on many Emergency topics including medical mimics of drug impairment and various drug topics as well as toxidromes to law enforcement, EMS, nurses, and physicians.

Joey Jones, Ph.D.

Dr. Jones has dedicated his career to forensic science since 2006, currently serving as System Director at the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory. In this role, he manages the operations of two forensic laboratories and an evidence hub, serving the northern 29 parishes of Louisiana. As an experienced forensic toxicologist, he plays a pivotal role in supporting law enforcement and legal professionals in cases of impaired driving by providing expert toxicological interpretation. Dr. Jones earned his Ph.D. in Forensic Sciences from Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences, specializing in forensic toxicology and impaired driving policy. He holds a Master of Science in Forensic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, obtained in 2007, and a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science from Baylor University, completed in 2004. He is a member of several esteemed organizations, including the National Safety Council’s Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driving division (NSC-ADID), the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). His commitment extends to his roles on the Louisiana Governor's Drug Policy Board and his support of the DWI Taskforce in Louisiana, where he focuses on education and enhancing public safety.

Sabra R. Jones, Ph.D, D-ABFT-FT

Sabra Jones, PhD is a board-certified Forensic Toxicologist focusing on transportation safety. Sabra is the Regional Toxicology Liaison supporting the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Northeast Regions 1, 2, and 3. Sabra earned her Master of Science degrees in Drug Chemistry and Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida, undergraduate and graduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice Management and Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma, and received her PhD from Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Sciences in Forensic Science. She is the immediate past chair of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division and Vice-Chair of the Academy Standards Board’s Toxicology Consensus Body. Sabra is active in several professional organizations such as the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences where she is a past chair of the Toxicology Section. Sabra was appointed by the US Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Governor Charles Baker to serve on the Forensic Oversight Board and the Special Commission on Operating Under the Influence and Impaired Driving.

Sgt. Don Decker (ret.)

Sgt. Decker retired from the Marblehead, MA. Police Department, serving over 30 years, retiring as patrol supervisor. He also served for over 11 years as a reserve officer with the Nahant, MA. Police Dept. and currently serves in a civilian capacity. Sgt. Decker is a SFST Instructor/Trainer, a DRE Instructor and DRE Instructor/Trainer, teaching nationwide.Sgt. Decker was formerly the State Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Coordinator for Massachusetts, holding that position for over 22 years. Sgt. Decker recently retired as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)/ International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) Region III DEC Coordinator. He is the former Chair of the IACP DRE Section, and the past Chair of the TAP Curriculum Committee. He continues to serve on the Curriculum Committee workgroup. Sgt. Decker is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and EMT Instructor, teaching and lecturing throughout New England. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the New England College of Optometry, Boston, Ma. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of North Florida, Institute for Police Technology and Management, Jacksonville, Fl. Sgt. Decker has been involved with numerous research projects, including the pupil update study, which led to the modification of pupil size ranges, several HGN studies and several Cannabis studies, including the MA. Baseline Assessment of Medical Marijuana Patients, conducted with the MA. Dept. of Public Health. Sgt. Decker continues to serve as an active DRE, and is in his 30th year as a certified DRE.