They do not know what they say.

RE: Local Attorney: DUI Tests FlawedLocal Law Enforcement here: What is left out of the above article is that the PBT is calibrated monthly and although not 100% accurate, in the sixty or so DUI arrests I have made(past four years) the PBT has been remarkably close to the 5000 results.

Obviously a policeman is going to ask the driver to perform FSTs (field tests) to make a better decision on the arrest, the arrest decision does not fall on the PBT alone (it CANNOT be used in court!). As for the mouthwash test, that is shown in every police academy, that is the reason the officer waits twenty minutes after the stop, this allows "breath alcohol" to dissipate, which ensures mouthwash, gum, or mints will not read on the test, ONLY DEEP LUNG AIR, which is caused by alcohol alone!

Diabetics can sometimes show a reading on the PBT, but again, police officers have been trained to detect other signs or clues to detect the difference. The attorney claims that only vehicles that are "all over the road" be stopped for DUI, should other traffic infractions be ignored at night, or should an officer disregard the odor of alcohol and let unlawfully impaired drivers continue just because they did not wreck (yet) or drive "all over the road."

In my 4 years on the road, I have made maybe 2-3 of those arrests where the driver is "all over the road." Typically the driver is just above the limit (.08-.10) and they don't show obvious horrible signs of driving.

June 08, 2006 5:50 AM
GetitrightWeyers Cave

So 3 out of 60 arrests dealt with actually impaired drivers. If only 5% were actually impaired then 95% of the persons arrested were not a danger to themselves or others. Good work Officer.

Government is about one size fits all; as always one size fits all only actually fits a few.