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…