Lt. Matt Schroeter believes he and his fellow officers at the Crawfordsville Police Department are doing a better job of detecting impaired drivers thanks to his specialized training as a Drug Recognition Expert.
A DRE is an officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.
Earning the DRE certification is lengthy and difficult. Schroeter said Indiana has only 200 officers with that designation. He now shares that expertise with his fellow officers.
Schroeter first became interested in the specialty while attending an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement program.
“I realized that we were missing things and letting people drive while impaired,” he said. “We didn’t realize the danger to others because we didn’t have the training to acknowledge it and act upon it.”
What Schroeter looks for are the more subtle signs of impairment.
“When I do that evaluation there are certain drug categories that will cause the body to do things, they will affect your blood pressure, your pulse, your pupil size, your body temperature, your muscle rigidity or muscle tone ... really a lot of things that people can’t control themselves but the drugs are doing it.”
He said the process can be like putting together a puzzle.
“Once I determine you’re impaired, what’s causing it, I render an opinion based on the matrix and the science and then we send the blood work to the state lab,” he said.
Sometimes, the samples are sent to an outside lab for further review.
“If a DRE had never happened, then some impaired drivers would have gotten off and would not have been convicted,” he said.
Schroeter, who works the night shift, sees his fair share of impaired drivers.
“That’s not to say it doesn’t happen on the day shift, believe me it does,” he said. “The reality is that there are more and more substances in peoples’ blood system than ever before.”
In addition to sharing his DRE knowledge, Schroeter also is a field sobriety instructor and a Strategies and Tactics of Patrol Stops instructor. He served seven years on the SWAT team, six years as a field training officer and was one of the officers instrumental in bringing body cameras to the department.
Schroeter, who started his law enforcement career 16 years ago, said he was primarily looking for a profession that wasn’t a desk job.
“I thought being on the police department allowed me to get out and make a difference, and another reason I chose this profession is I thought it was an important job.”
While living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Schroeter went on a ride-along with a friend who was a police officer, and he quickly realized that law enforcement was his calling.
“I really liked the nature of the job and the camaraderie I saw between him and the other guys, and it reminded me of my time in the Army and I missed that.”
Schroeter spent four years in the service as a calvary scout specializing in combat arms. He was stationed in Colorado and Texas and deployed overseas to Bosnia where he was part of the stabilization force following that country’s civil war. After he was discharged from the Army, he earned his associates degree from a community college in Colorado.
He met his wife in Colorado and they started a family, but soon made the decision to relocate to Indiana, where she is from. He hails from Las Vegas and they wanted to raise a family in a smaller community.
When they settled in Crawfordsville, Schroeter applied to the Crawfordsville Police Department.
“I learned a lot in the Army and I think that experience has carried over and really built my character,” he said.
Schroeter believes it is his strong organizational skills, his ability to read people and his calm demeanor that helps him be successful at his job.
“We’re there to settle things down and often times there to help somebody get through their worst day and that’s a rewarding thing,” Schroeter said. “I never know what the day’s going to be like. I just never know. I guess that adds to the intrigue of it. Most jobs you go in there kinda of knowing how your day’s going to be ... this is one of the few you have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen. It can be exciting, but it also can be very scary.”
Schroeter intends to stay in the law enforcement profession as long as he is able, mentally and physically.
“I like this job because again it is an important job and someone has to do it and I’m good at it and I acknowledge that and I think that’s why I enjoy it ... I stick with what I’m good at.”
In his spare time, Schroeter enjoys reading, target shooting and spending time with his family, which includes his wife and three children. He also coaches middle school girls basketball. His memberships include the American Legion, Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Chief of Police.
