The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) is launching a new Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program (LEPP) that will allow specially trained deputies to conduct evidentiary blood draws in impaired driving cases, reducing delays and improving efficiency in the field.
KCSO contracts its police services to the City of Burien as well as 14 other jurisdictions.
The program, developed in partnership with Shoreline Community College, has certified 14 deputies as Washington State Medical Assistant-Phlebotomists, giving them the authority to draw blood for DUI investigations at designated law enforcement facilities.
“This is key to alleviating delays in the field,” said Captain Jonathan Youngblood, who oversees the program. “Often times when a deputy takes a suspect to a medical facility for a blood draw, it can take them out of service for several hours. Now the arresting officer can continue their paperwork while a phlebotomist completes this step. The whole process should take about 20 minutes.”
The program is expected to go live in about a month, pending final state certification. Each trained officer’s certification is valid for two years.
Blood draws will only be conducted at approved locations and on fully cooperative suspects, and only when they don’t interfere with medical care. Uncooperative suspects will continue to be taken to hospitals, in line with current protocols.
The Sheriff’s Office averages about one evidentiary blood draw per day. To accommodate demand, phlebotomy stations will be established at the agency’s six main precincts: Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Southeast, Southwest, and Woodinville.
The program’s start-up costs — including training and equipment — were funded by a grant from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. Officials say they plan to eventually expand the program to include up to 25 certified law enforcement phlebotomists.
More information is available in the department’s General Orders Manual under Evidentiary Blood Draws – Phlebotomy here.
