MY Coup D'etat: How I got Certified on the Draeger Alcotest Breath Testing Instrument

Lake Cayuga sits at the Base of Ithaca, NY

I live within Blocks of this? Amazing!

This is NOT New Jersey!

Life has a great many twists and turns. I practiced law in New Jersey (and Pennsylvania) long before I practiced in New York. I lived in N.J., worked in the NJ prosecutor's office, married a girl from NJ, and enjoyed my time there BUT I'm a New Yorker at heart. I was born and raised in the streets of Brooklyn. You can take me from those streets but they are within me everyday.

Funny how I used to make fun of people who lived in the sticks (as my dad used to quip) but I love upstate New York, and in my more mature years (chronologically not mentally or emotionally) I have grown to enjoy the wide expanses of trees, hills, and farmland.

How did I get to the New Jersey Draeger Alcotest Certification?

1. I belong to the NCDD (National College of DUI Defense) and participate in their listserve with thousands of lawyers around the country who focus their practices on DUI/DWI/OUI defense.

2. I look for seminars, conferences, and programs that can improve my ability to defend DWI cases. I have been to many courses that teach breath testing, blood testing, and police field sobriety training.

3. My Coup D'etat!

I found out that the New Jersey Supreme Court has mandated that the Draeger company (which manufactures the Alcotest 7710 and 9510) has to provide assess to the defense bar (criminal defense lawyers) once per year the same test training and certification as it provides to the New Jersey law enforcement breath test instructors (called the coordinators). This is since 2006, so I am one of about 115 (120 took the course since 2006 but some are repeaters) certified by Draeger on the Alcotest.

The course I took was limited to 20 participants. Many of them were experts who testify in Courts on the Draeger instrument, breath testing, and blood testing. There were some Phd. pharmacologists from Ohio, a few expert certified State Troopers, and a bunch of us defense lawyers. I was the only DWI defense lawyer from New York State.

I was trained and certified on the Draeger Alcotest (the only unit used in New Jersey) in the software, the analytical system, components and peripherals, as well as how to operate the instrument and perform a specific breath test sequence.

Me and the VP of Draeger, Hansueli Ryser

A lot harder to blow into than I imagined


All pictures taken with my new SONY Cybershot DSC- RX100
Absolutely a fabulous camera (recommended by David Pogue, New York Times tech genius)

Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Newman
Doctor of Chiropractic
Attorney and Counselor at Law

504 North Aurora Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

607-229-5184
newman.lawrence@gmail.cm

http://www.ithacadwi.com