Follow the green light.

It seems like a simple enough task, given that it's attached to a pen moving about a foot in front of my face.

But despite my best efforts, the light just doesn't want to stand still.

That might be because it's on a pen held by one of the new Casper police department recruits.

Those officers-in-training are trying to determine whether I'm too drunk to drive. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that I'm in no condition to do so.

I've volunteered to assist in the training of field sobriety tests officers use on a daily basis on the streets.

It's a simple enough task. I drink alcohol - in this case Vodka and cranberry juice - until I'm at the point where I'm no longer legal, or safe, to get behind the wheel. Then one by one, the recruits have a chance to try their newfound field sobriety skills on me, the Casper Star-Tribune's crime reporter, or John Romero, who holds the same position for KCWY 13 TV.

It shouldn't be that hard to follow the light, but after six - or was it seven? - beverages, it's a challenge.

"This is the first practical chance that candidates have to practice what they've been taught in the classroom, what they've been tested on," said Crime Prevention Officer Pete Abrams, who's assisting with the training.

The recruits are using the light to look for an involuntary movement in my eye that indicates whether I'm intoxicated. From the looks on their faces, it appears they've found it.

Besides the eye test, the recruits have two other tests to evaluate whether a person is too drunk to drive. Both make me feel a little like I'm doing the "Hokey Pokey."

The first one requires me to put my right foot directly in front of my left, and then walk forward on an invisible line, like I'm an acrobat balancing on a wire. It's a bit of a feat after several drinks, but the recruits manage to keep straight faces as they watch my rather dismal effort.

Finally, I'm asked to stand on one foot, with the other one lifted out in front of me, toe jutting forward so it's parallel with the ground. Then it's counting time.

"One, one thousand. Two, one thousand …"

Sounds easy enough, but sure enough, I fail again.

In concert, the tests are 95 percent accurate for helping officers determine whether someone is too intoxicated to drive, said Officer Scott Jones, who's helping to teach the class.

"Once they identify those clues, they then weight those number of clues to determine if someone is impaired," he said.

The tests might feel a little weird, but they are critically important for new officers in a city where drunken driving rates continue to increase.

"Because of the seriousness of the alcohol problem, and specifically the DUI problem, that we are seeing here in Casper, it's invaluable that our new officers receive the training on how to properly investigate DUI offenders," Jones said, "so we can successfully prosecute as many of these offenders as we can and get them off the road."