Originally Posted by
SMOKEYBEAR
It's actually taught by DFS (Division of Forensic Science) It was 40 hours of in class/ lab work and documented hours of "homework". I can't remember the number of hours though. It was the hardest thing to learn in the academy. It is a lot of information and the tests were not exactly easy. Operators have to be re-certified at least every two years. If you don't pass the re-cert, you have to take the whole thing over again at DFS. (not just the re-cert, the 40+ hours)
FWIW, as pro-defendant as I may seem here, I'll say that cops know WAY more than most people realize. That's part of the reason I think the FSTs should carry more weight than the blow (except maybe the HGN test, since my brother, who is a doctor, says that there is no way to do that accurately on someone who is only marginally impaired on the side of an unlit road at night), and because we have these FSTs, and they don't require any implied consent or questionable science, I think we should just use those and get rid of the blow.