While most people avoid police while under the influence of alcohol, a Missouri sheriff’s department offered residents free booze to get drunk in front of them.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis – received an overwhelming response to a social media post seeking day drinkers to join them in officer training, as they practice identifying drunk drivers.
About four different volunteers were picked to join in the ‘wet lab’ from Tuesday to Thursday, and were offered free drinks for up to two hours – plus a ride home – in exchange for letting officer teest their sobriety.
The department’s post quickly gained traction on Sunday, with nearly 850 shares, as several people were itching to sign up. The 12 available slots were filled within a day.
‘Is there a waitlist?’ one person wrote.
To which another responded: ‘It’s like tickets to a Packers game, sold out 20 years from now.’
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office offered 12 volunteers free booze for up to two hours and a ride home in exchange for them participating in officer training. Pictured: an officer with the police department
An overwhelming number of volunteers signed up within a day for a chance to drink wine, beer, or liquor provided by the sheriff’s office free of cost
Officers finished their training on Friday, including their Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Certification.
As part of their observation of the ‘drunk’ participants, they were instructed to take note of behaviors and determine whether they believed the participant was over the alcohol limit based on their tests.
They were looking specifically for ‘causal drinkers’ with limited mobility issues and no prior alcohol-related convictions.
Volunteers chose their poison from a menu of wine, beer, or hard alcohol.
‘While we will not be providing Pappy Van Winkle, we promise not to serve you cheap wine or rail liquor,’ the department wrote in a post earlier this week.
‘Are the participates paid?’ one person wrote.
‘In alcohol,’ another responded.
Meanwhile, some jokesters tagged their significant others and proposed a night out.
‘Date night,’ one woman wrote.
‘Yes!’ her spouse added.
Authorities reassured participants that the practice has been around for decades, but is usually conducted in the evening when the department’s own members can participate.
An officer participating in the week-long Field Sobriety Testing Certification training
The course is required standard for law enforcement certification and has been a crucial part of training for decades.
Officers at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office were responsible for 446 of the 555 total driving while impaired arrests.
In Missouri, a first-time DUI/DWI is a misdemeanor. Violators must pay up to $500, may be jailed for 6 months, and have their license suspended for 90 days.
The sheriff’s department reassured concerned taxpayers that their funds were not used to purchase the alcohol.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk