Definitely not F-Troop

Back in the 1960’s there was a very funny television show entitled “F Troop.”
It was about a cavalry unit out in the middle of nowhere whose bumbling antics barely kept them from getting killed or court-martialed in just about every episode. Their neighbors, the “Hekowi” Indians said that they got their name when someone looked around and asked, “Where the heck are we?” and some white man thought that was their name and it stuck. Laughable, lovable, with a lot of sight gags and slapstick, it entertained people for two seasons, and left their funny theme song in people’s brains forever.

It’s kind of odd that a very important group here in Oklahoma goes by the name of Troop F, but perhaps they were just working their way through the alphabet and after all, the silly show only lasted two seasons and everyone under 50 probably doesn’t even know much about it.

In Ardmore, Troop F sent four of the Troopers to a specialized school to train in the International Drug Evaluation and Classification Program. By going through this intense training, they became Drug Recognition Experts.

Aside from the classroom work where they studied the various types of drugs and their effects on people, the Troopers also spent many nights and weekends on site at a local jail. Their task there was to evaluate individuals who came in who appeared to be under the influence of drugs. The Troopers would evaluate them, and then a drug test would be administered to the individuals to see if their suspicions were confirmed. It’s easy to see how this training will be incredibly valuable as they encounter people back in Ardmore and elsewhere whose impairments are visible.

Ardmore has sent 6 Troopers altogether to this program. The letters DRE after a police officer’s name will indicate that he is a drug recognition evaluator, trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than alcohol, but alcohol as well.

The Los Angeles Police Department started this program back in the 1970’s. Working together with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation, this DEC (Drug Evaluation and Classification) program has spread to 43 states, the District of Columbia, three branches of the military, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and several countries around the world.