WHEREAS, in 2003, 40 percent of the 42,643 motor vehicle deaths in the United States were alcohol-related, translating into 17,013 alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths and accounting for an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 30 minutes; and

WHEREAS, alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public more than $50 billion in 2000, and 81 percent of those costs occurred in crashes where a driver or non-occupant had a BAC of .10 or higher; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies are participating in high visibility impaired driving enforcement efforts to detect alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers; and

WHEREAS, the majority of alcohol and drug impaired driving cases are prosecuted by new or inexperienced prosecutors; and

WHEREAS, these prosecutors must prosecute impaired driving cases against a highly paid, experienced defense attorney; and

WHEREAS, states are developing Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP) positions to provide training for prosecutors on traffic safety programs, to provide technical assistance to law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and to serve as second chairs on complex impaired driving cases that include the Frye and Daubert evidentiary standards of reliability for scientific proof; and

WHEREAS, a TSRP can assist law enforcement officers in collecting evidence, in setting up sobriety checkpoints or saturation patrols, in case preparation, in training, and in establishing relationships with prosecutors to ensure the successful prosecution of impaired driving cases; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement officers can provide important information and training to prosecutors regarding current issues relevant to the prosecution of impaired driving and related cases; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police supports the continued implementation of Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors to assist in the effective prosecution of impaired driving cases and commits to developing working relationships with the TSRPs.