Attorney McShane is a noted litigator when it comes to the area of analytical chemistry and forensic science. His commitment to research and study have earned him the respect of experts in both the legal and scientific communities. As a result, Attorney McShane has been invited to lecture at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society to be held from March 27-31, 2011 in Anaheim, CA. His topic is: False Convictions and Bad Pharmacology: The Danger of the Drug Recognition “Expert” Protocol in Driving Under the Influence of Drug Prosecutions: A call for meaningful validation.
The Drug Recognition “Expert” (DRE) program is the 12 step National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) standardized curriculum that is used in DUI drugs cases across the country. This protocol has not been vigorously tested scientifically and validated, to supposedly detect drug impaired drivers after arrest and before there is an analytical chemistry (toxicology) result. The base principles of DRE protocol are the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) which themselves have not been scientifically validated. It is important to note that the SFSTs were not designed to record or quantify impairment. Despite these limitations, the SFSTs are being used as the decision point for determining impairment in the DRE context claiming to discriminate between impaired and unimpaired drivers for the court. This leads to false convictions based on faulty presumptions about the validity of the DRE protocol.
Being invited to speak at a prestigious seminar like the ACS National Meeting is quite an honor and is a further validation of Attorney McShane’s credentials in DUI science. If you or a loved one is charged with a DUI or a DUI-drugs in PA please call 1-866-MCSHANE to consult with a respected PA DUI Attorney.