diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
index 59ea3d905..d270f251d 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
@@ -261,16 +261,23 @@ public class AlignmentUtils {
         return n;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Calculate the number of bases that are soft clipped in read with quality score greater than threshold
+     *
+     * @param read a non-null GATKSAMRecord
+     * @param qualThreshold consider bases with quals > this value as high quality.  Must be >= 0
+     * @return positive integer
+     */
+    @Ensures("result >= 0")
     public static int calcNumHighQualitySoftClips( final GATKSAMRecord read, final byte qualThreshold ) {
+        if ( read == null ) throw new IllegalArgumentException("Read cannot be null");
+        if ( qualThreshold < 0 ) throw new IllegalArgumentException("Expected qualThreshold to be a positive byte but saw " + qualThreshold);
+
+        final byte[] qual = read.getBaseQualities( EventType.BASE_SUBSTITUTION );
 
         int numHQSoftClips = 0;
         int alignPos = 0;
-        final Cigar cigar = read.getCigar();
-        final byte[] qual = read.getBaseQualities( EventType.BASE_SUBSTITUTION );
-
-        for( int iii = 0; iii < cigar.numCigarElements(); iii++ ) {
-
-            final CigarElement ce = cigar.getCigarElement(iii);
+        for ( final CigarElement ce : read.getCigar().getCigarElements() ) {
             final int elementLength = ce.getLength();
 
             switch( ce.getOperator() ) {
@@ -279,21 +286,16 @@ public class AlignmentUtils {
                         if( qual[alignPos++] > qualThreshold ) { numHQSoftClips++; }
                     }
                     break;
-                case M:
-                case I:
-                case EQ:
-                case X:
+                case M: case I: case EQ: case X:
                     alignPos += elementLength;
                     break;
-                case H:
-                case P:
-                case D:
-                case N:
+                case H: case P: case D: case N:
                     break;
                 default:
-                    throw new ReviewedStingException("Unsupported cigar operator: " + ce.getOperator());
+                    throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported cigar operator: " + ce.getOperator());
             }
         }
+
         return numHQSoftClips;
     }
 
diff --git a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
index b03399b7a..ea3e2bdbb 100644
--- a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
+++ b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
@@ -25,13 +25,16 @@
 
 package org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.sam;
 
-import junit.framework.Assert;
 import net.sf.samtools.*;
+import org.apache.commons.lang.ArrayUtils;
+import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.Utils;
+import org.testng.Assert;
 import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
 import org.testng.annotations.DataProvider;
 import org.testng.annotations.Test;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 
 public class AlignmentUtilsUnitTest {
@@ -161,4 +164,59 @@ public class AlignmentUtilsUnitTest {
             Assert.assertEquals(consolidatedCigar.toString(), AlignmentUtils.consolidateCigar(unconsolidatedCigar).toString());
         }
     }
+
+    @DataProvider(name = "SoftClipsDataProvider")
+    public Object[][] makeSoftClipsDataProvider() {
+        List<Object[]> tests = new ArrayList<Object[]>();
+
+        // this functionality can be adapted to provide input data for whatever you might want in your data
+        for ( final int lengthOfLeftClip : Arrays.asList(0, 1, 10) ) {
+            for ( final int lengthOfRightClip : Arrays.asList(0, 1, 10) ) {
+                for ( final int qualThres : Arrays.asList(10, 20, 30) ) {
+                    for ( final String middleOp : Arrays.asList("M", "D") ) {
+                        for ( final int matchSize : Arrays.asList(0, 1, 10) ) {
+                            final byte[] left = makeQualArray(lengthOfLeftClip, qualThres);
+                            final byte[] right = makeQualArray(lengthOfRightClip, qualThres);
+                            int n = 0;
+                            for ( int i = 0; i < left.length; i++ ) n += left[i] > qualThres ? 1 : 0;
+                            for ( int i = 0; i < right.length; i++ ) n += right[i] > qualThres ? 1 : 0;
+                            tests.add(new Object[]{left, matchSize, middleOp, right, qualThres, n});
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return tests.toArray(new Object[][]{});
+    }
+
+    private byte[] makeQualArray(final int length, final int qualThreshold) {
+        final byte[] array = new byte[length];
+        for ( int i = 0; i < array.length; i++ )
+            array[i] = (byte)(qualThreshold + ( i % 2 == 0 ? 1 : - 1 ));
+        return array;
+    }
+
+    @Test(dataProvider = "SoftClipsDataProvider")
+    public void testSoftClipsData(final byte[] qualsOfSoftClipsOnLeft, final int middleSize, final String middleOp, final byte[] qualOfSoftClipsOnRight, final int qualThreshold, final int numExpected) {
+        final int readLength = (middleOp.equals("D") ? 0 : middleSize) + qualOfSoftClipsOnRight.length + qualsOfSoftClipsOnLeft.length;
+        final GATKSAMRecord read = ArtificialSAMUtils.createArtificialRead(header, "myRead", 0, 1, readLength);
+        final byte[] bases = Utils.dupBytes((byte) 'A', readLength);
+        final byte[] matchBytes = middleOp.equals("D") ? new byte[]{} : Utils.dupBytes((byte)30, middleSize);
+        final byte[] quals = ArrayUtils.addAll(ArrayUtils.addAll(qualsOfSoftClipsOnLeft, matchBytes), qualOfSoftClipsOnRight);
+
+        // set the read's bases and quals
+        read.setReadBases(bases);
+        read.setBaseQualities(quals);
+
+        final StringBuilder cigar = new StringBuilder();
+        if (qualsOfSoftClipsOnLeft.length > 0 ) cigar.append(qualsOfSoftClipsOnLeft.length + "S");
+        if (middleSize > 0 ) cigar.append(middleSize + middleOp);
+        if (qualOfSoftClipsOnRight.length > 0 ) cigar.append(qualOfSoftClipsOnRight.length + "S");
+
+        read.setCigarString(cigar.toString());
+
+        final int actual = AlignmentUtils.calcNumHighQualitySoftClips(read, (byte) qualThreshold);
+        Assert.assertEquals(actual, numExpected, "Wrong number of soft clips detected for read " + read.getSAMString());
+    }
 }