This decision by the Pennsylvania State Police could increase arrests of those driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The Pennsylvania State Police have temporarily suspended the use of Breathlyzers in DUI stops, meaning that DUI arrests may increase in areas patrolled by the PSP by detecting drugs in addition to alcohol, according to CBS3. A Dauphin County Court ruling prompted the decision, where a judge threw out a DUI charge after the reliability of the Breathalyzer test using the Intoxilyzer 5000, which is used throughout Pennsylvania, was questioned. “Anytime we arrest someone for DUI now instead of taking them to get a breath sample, we’re now taking a blood sample and taking that off to the lab to be analyzed,” PSP Spokesman Adam Reed told CBS 3. According to George Geisler of the PA DUI Association, this action will mean safer roads, because …
A Dauphin County judge's ruling has the potential to affect thousands of DUI prosecutions across the state, but South Whitehall Police do not use the Breathlyzers in question.
A Dauphin County judge's ruling has the potential to affect thousands of DUI prosecutions across the state, but South Whitehall Police do not use the Breathalyzers in question.
According to a story in the Patriot News a Dauphin County judge’s ruling has the "potential to derail thousands of drunken driving prosecutions and convictions" across Pennsylvania. "Judge Lawrence F. Clark Jr. concluded that Breathalyzer machines used by law enforcement to gauge the intoxication level of drivers cannot be considered accurate beyond a blood-alcohol reading of 0.15 percent." In South Whitehall, however, police do not use the Breathalyzer machines the judge referred to, according to Sgt. Jason Negron. He said South Whitehall does have portable devices in their cars but they are used only to determine if alcohol is present. He said Pennsylvania State Police use the Breathalyzers but South Whitehall officers rely on blood-…
