LANSING — The one-year pilot program for a roadside test that allows trained officers to screen a driver’s saliva for illegal drugs within minutes in five Michigan counties, including Delta County, has concluded. The program began on Nov. 8, 2017 and concluded on Nov. 8, 2018.

Traffic Safety Specialist F/Lt. Jim Flegel of the Michigan State Police said he is completing the report of the data collected from the program so it can be reviewed by the Legislature. The roadside drug testing program is under the direction of the Michigan State Police, with Flegel overseeing the program at the MSP State Services Bureau in Lansing.

The program included Delta County, where a fatal accident was the catalyst for the pilot program, and four downstate counties of Berrien, Kent, St. Clair, and Washtenaw. The pilot program offers law enforcement drugged driving results within minutes via a mouth swab of a motorist’s saliva.

Flegel explained the oral fluid testing instrument used in the program was the Abbott DDS2 roadside analyzer, which tests for six different drug categories.

“The testing instrument was used successfully in all five counties,” he said.

The saliva test could only be administered by trained “drug recognition experts,” also known as DREs, who are employed by state, county, township, and municipal police agencies. The DRE could only administer the test if they made the initial traffic stop.

The pilot program became law in 2016 as a result of efforts of siblings Brian Swift of Texas and Patti Swift-Dringoli of Wisconsin whose parents, Escanaba residents Barbara and Thomas Swift, both 73, were killed by a logging truck that failed to stop for a red light in Gladstone and struck the Swift’s car in 2013.

The semi driver was convicted of six felonies, including operating a vehicle with the presence of marijuana in his system. He was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.

Former Sen. Tom Casperson was one of the local legislators that helped spearhead the legislation with Brian and Patti by sponsoring the bill for the pilot program.

Casperson said as his term limits and the end of the program grew near, he asked the 28th District Senator Peter MacGregor to take the lead.

“I knew I was leaving so I went to Sen. MacGregor … I went to Pete and asked him if he would take over, take the lead on this thing and that we needed to expand it because we believe now more than ever we need a standard out there that the police can use,” Casperson said.

Flegel explained the law states the program can be extended and expanded after the end of the one-year, but the expansion/extension would have to be approved by the Legislature after the report is reviewed.

Although the program cannot be expanded yet, Casperson said the Legislature has gone through the appropriation process to get more funding for the expansion of the program.

Flegel said money has been appropriated, however, it has not officially gone towards the program yet because the program cannot be expanded and extended until after the report of the one-year timeframe is given.

The report is slated to be presented to the Legislature on Feb. 6. Flegel said after the report is reviewed they will look into the next steps and recommendations for the program.