Are Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) mostly a formality?
I’ve been bingewatching US bodycam footages a lot (i have no knowledge of the law) and had a question about SFSTs.
One that I have noticed is that when an officer goes up for a traffic stop and has some suspicion of DUI (smell, eyes bloodshot, swerving, etc.), they notify the person and ask to perform a field sobriety test.
I have personally met people in my life where I cannot tell if they are intoxicated or not, even if they were. I can’t fake it, but for certain people it seems like they are extremely highly functional while under the influence of alcohol / cannabis where it’s nearly impossible to tell. Or when they had just a few drinks and are playing around the limits.
I have seen footages where someone goes through the test, their eyes barely twitch, they are quite good at balancing (regular people also have balancing issues). Although I am not a drug recognition expert, it seems like some individuals are able to complete the test well while being intoxicated in reality.
Most of the cases though (could be biased since I probably wouldn’t see stuff on YT where the case is uninteresting), if the officer has “reasonable suspicion “ prior, such as smell or looks, they proceed to ask them for a breathalyzer or back to the sheriffs office and request a blood draw even if the SFSTs seems ‘good’ to my untrained eyes.
Most of the times it seems obvious that the person is impaired since they either give excuses or start acting real nervous; but my question is: even if someone “passes” the field sobriety tests, can the officer arrest them for DUI if they have reasonable suspicions prior and request to test them after? Would the SFSTs be considered a “formality” for the bodycam in that case? How do officers in general try to spot high functioning alcoholics or stoners with eye drops or something? Obviously no system is perfect and I’m sure there are people who tricked law enforcement, but are SFSTs highly telling (to the trained eyes) or more of a formality? Do officers kind of have a predetermined idea?