Field test looks for active ingredients to see if driver is under the influence at the time of the stop. Taking the test is voluntary.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Department’s traffic division has introduced a new roadside testing device to identify drivers impaired by drugs, addressing what officers describe as a recent surge in drug-related driving offenses.
The device, called Sotoxa, allows officers to test drivers for active drug use by swabbing the inside of their mouth during traffic stops. Officer Michael Denigan with the department’s traffic division said the tool can detect “anything from marijuana to prescription drugs to harder drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine.”
Denigan tested a driver on the morning of our interview, and the test came back positive for impairment by a central nervous system stimulant. “He was ultimately placed under arrest,” said Denigan.
The SoToxa test is voluntary and is administered after officers observe other signs of intoxication. When screening for fentanyl use, for example, officers look for specific indicators. “They’ll have trouble answering questions, trouble staying awake, we’re looking for constricted pupils, low blood pressure,” said Denigan.
A key distinction exists for marijuana use, which is legal in California. The test detects only the active ingredient that causes impairment, not residual traces that may remain in a person’s system days after use. “Someone who has smoked marijuana recently and is still under the influence—those are the people we’re looking for. Not someone who may show up in a urine test from several days prior, but it does not actively impair their ability to operate,” said Denigan.
Officers must be certified to use the device. Denigan has made over 100 DUI arrests this year and views the technology as essential to public safety. “One of the primary missions here at traffic division is to keep impaired drivers off our streets and to ensure that roadways—safety for all motorists in the city of San Diego,” said Denigan.