PHOTO #1: Victoria Police Deputy Chief Chuck Young, left, and Chief Robert Arredondo and Deputy Chief Mark Jameson, right, present Officer Trenton Ballard with a commendation bar Aug. 30 recognizing his completion of the Texas Drug Recognition Expert Program.
PHOTO #2: Officer Trenton Ballard
Officer Trenton Ballard recently earned the Texas Drug Recognition Expert Program certification. Ballard is one of 450 licensed officers in the state of Texas to hold this certification. To earn the certification, officers must complete 72 hours of academic instruction, combining 16 hours of preliminary schooling and 56 hours of Drug Recognition Expert school. Courses cover topics such as physiology, vital signs and standardized field sobriety testing, as well as extensive material on each of the seven drug categories. Once the academic sections are complete, officers must attend field certifications at selected sites. Students are required to conduct a minimum of 15 drug influence evaluations, including six as the lead evaluator. Ballard has been with the Victoria Police Department since November 2020.