Kittanning state trooper lauded for anti-drugged driving work

If you drive while under the influence of drugs, you’re likely to meet Chris Robbins.

It won’t turn out well for you.

A state trooper from the Kittanning station, Cpl. Chris Robbins is one of fewer than 200 police officers in Pennsylvania certified as drug-recognition experts. In other words, he’s trained to know if a driver is under the influence of something other than alcohol.

And he’s had a bit of experience in evaluating impaired drivers. Since becoming certified in 2012, Robbins has performed 471 evaluations of suspected drugged drivers.

That’s an average of 78 annually, said David Andrascik, state coordinator for the PA DUI Association.

Robbins’ work earned him a nomination for the Excellence in Drug Recognition award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Robbins is the western regional coordinator of 33 state police drug recognition experts. In 2018, he did 89 evaluations — the most that year.

But Andrascik, a retired trooper who nominated Robbins for the award, said that isn’t Robbins’ most significant accomplishment. He said Robbins’ “leadership, supervision and support” of the program led to a 50% increase in drunken driving arrests at the Kittanning state police station. Also, drugged driving arrests there increased by 125% and drug possession arrests increased by almost 200%.

The Kittanning station has 34 troopers assigned to patrol, and they made 583 drunken driving arrests last year, Andrascik said.

He attributed that to Robbins’ “leadership, training, and motivational skills.”

The drug recognition award is named in memory of Karen Tarney-Bookstaff.

Tarney-Bookstaff and her husband founded Citizens Against Drug Impaired Driving in Wisconsin to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities because of drivers under the influence of illicit, prescription or over‐the‐counter drugs.

Lt. Eric Simko, who commands the Kittanning station, said Robbins is “always available” to report to a drugged driving evaluation, even when he is off duty.