Austin: Halt or I will phlebotomize you!
From AABB:  This is a nice resolution but I don’t think it really has any “teeth” in the face of the state law. An article in the Statesman referenced one officer who did not want to draw blood but I can imagine that the one person we would NOT want to do it will probably turn out to be the one that does. I would never want to be held across the hood of a patrol car while an angry officer came at me with a needle!
Resolution cites “clear will” for police officers not to collect blood
City Council members in Austin, Texas, on Thursday passed a resolution citing their “clear will” that police officers not personally draw blood from drivers suspected to be intoxicated. The original version of the resolution, which called for directly prohibiting officers from drawing blood, has been toned down so that it would not run against a state law that mandates officers to employ “all lawful means” to implement the law. The approved resolution calls for the development of guidelines for the collection of blood samples.  Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (10/23)
