New intoxilyzers in use locally

Minnesota is equipping state and local law enforcement agencies with Data Master DMT units, which are the latest in the arsenal of techie tools to prosecute drunk driving. There are two of these new units in the county-- one sits at the booking station in the county jail and one is at Lakes Area Police department offices. (Wyoming and North Branch police do not maintain individual intoxilyzers.) Lakes Area Deputy Chief Bill Schlumbohm explained that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Forensic Sciences division coordinated the machine purchases and installations. The west metro region was first to receive the units and east metro jurisdictions recently saw their units delivered. (The Chisago County Board adopted a contract with the BCA authorizing the units in February.) Schlumbohm said the devices are the newest technology utilizing dry nitrogen and ethanol. They are as accurate as humanly possible in determining blood alcohol content for DUI suspects, he added. The test still relies on a suspect breathing into a sampling device, but the Data Master provides an additional sensor capability over and above the old “source code” liquid measurement devices that were replaced statewide. The Data Master DMT additionally provides fuel cell electricity to detect the presence of alcohol in a subject’s breath. Officers have trained on use of the devices and are expected to be able to testify in court if necessary on the steps required for accurately administering the test and the status of the device. In the Lakes Area offices there is a camera recording every time a suspect gets tested as well. Minnesota law enforcement personnel previously used the Intoxilyzer 500EN. State law has been revised to acknowledge the data resulting from Data Master measurements as evidence for prosecuting DUI offenders. The use of blood and urine continues to be another method of evidence collection and has been growing as a forensic tool. A news release from the BCA reported that blood and urine testing submissions doubled since 2008. There were 1,832 tests submitted by counties in June and July 2008 and 3,702 in the same two months for 2009. This increases “turnaround time” for results from a week to about a month. MADD Donation Lakes Area Police also recently accepted a donation of PBTs or portable breath testers that are commonly used in the field. A local representative for Mothers Against Drunk Driving presented the police with the gift, saving the department about $1,000. They arrived April 11, just in time for use at prom.