Georgia will establish a phlebotomy program to instruct law enforcement officers on how to collect blood samples, the latest in a growing number of states to embrace the practice.
Law enforcement officers in Georgia will be trained in phlebotomy, allowing them to draw blood from drunk driving suspects on the road, officials with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said.
Up to 100 state and local police officers will be trained in the phlebotomy program, which will be overseen by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. The initiative, funded via a $44,190 grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, aims to collect blood evidence early in the investigative process, when alcohol levels are more accurate.