Mayor pulls plug on HPD vampire training

Houston Mayor Annise Parker pulled the plug on an HPD initiative to train officers to become licensed phlebotomists so they could draw blood from suspected drunk drivers. As part of their training through UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) and Lone Star College, seven Houston police officers first practiced drawing blood from artificial limbs, then each other and finally inmates in the psychiatric ward at Jester IV prison near Richmond. (See video.)

That's right, police officers practiced drawing blood from inmates in the psych ward of a state prison. Were the inmates informed that rank amateurs would be sticking them with needles? Were the inmates asked to consent to  being used in target practice? Did they select Jester IV so that none of the victims subjects would complain?

How far will this lunacy extend? What will the state do next to combat citizens from exercising their rights? What's the next step to ease the state's burden of proof in DWI prosecutions?

Why are motorists suspected of DWI presumed guilty?

It shouldn't be easy for the state to take away the liberty of a person accused of committing a crime. We shouldn't be bending over backwards to make it easier. Where are our "less government is better government" tea party-ites when we're talking about undermining our fundamental constitutional rights? Can you think of any type of government intrusion that is bigger than allowing the police to stick a needle in your arm just because they suspect you might have done something wrong?

Of course don't get too excited over Mayor Parker's actions. Her opposition wasn't the idea of setting vampire cops loose in the city, she didn't like the price tag of the program.

See also:

"Police train to draw suspects' blood," KPRC-TV (Nov. 11, 2009)

What's a qualified vampire, er, technician?

Section 724.017 of the Texas Transportation Code governs the admissibility of evidentiary blood samples in DWI cases. The codes says:

(a) Only a physician, qualified technician, chemist, registered professional nurse or licensed vocational nurse may take a blood specimen at the request or order of a peace officer under this chapter. The blood specimen must be taken in a sanitary place...

(c) In this section, "qualified technician" does not include emergency medical services personnel.

The State of Texas does not oversee the regulation of lab technicians, but most labs require certification from associations such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

To earn certification from ASCP as a medical laboratory technician, a candidate must meet the following requirements:

1) Have an associate degree or at least 60 semester hours of academic credit from an accredited school.

plus

2a) Complete a NAACLS accredited program within the last five (5) years; or

2b) Have 6 semester hours of chemistry or 6 semester hours of biology and CLA certification; or

2c) Have 6 semester hours of chemistry or 6 semester hours of biology and completion of a fifty (50) week U.S. military medical laboratory training course with official notarized documentation; or

2d) Have 6 semester hours of chemistry or 6 semester hours of biology and three (3) years of full time clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Clinical Microscopy in the U.S., Canada, or CAP/The Joint Commission accredited laboratory within the last ten (10) years.

Satisfying one of the 1) plus of one of the 2a-2d allows you to sit for the MLT (ASCP) exam.

Exam: Pass the ASCP’s Board of Registry’s examination for Medical Laboratory Technician

The Texas Department of State Health Services regulates the licensing of emergency medical services personnel. In order to become a licensed EMT, a candidate must meet the following requirements:

(1) At least 18 years old
(2) Complete high school or GED certificate (Texas Education Agency approved or out-of-state equivalent)
(3) Successful completion of a DSHS approved EMS training course
(4) Submit EMS Personnel Certification Application and fee
(5) Pass National Registry exam
(6) To gain paramedic licensure status, you are required to follow the steps above and submit proof of either a two-year EMS degree or a four-year degree in any field.

Contract this to the training the officers with the Dalworthington Gardens Police Department received...

(1) 14 hours of classroom lecture,

(2) Articles on drawing blood,

(3) Basic phlebotomy test, and

(4) 50 blood draws at a hospital.

If the statute says that a licensed EMT is not qualified to draw blood, then police officers who are provided minimal training and who do not meet the minimum training and education requirements to obtain a medical lab tech certification surely can't be considered qualified enough to conduct forced evidentiary blood draws.

And we haven't even touched on the issue of what qualifies as a sanitary place.