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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
California law enforcement
agencies have been using 15 year-old evidential breath alcohol instruments
for testing motor vehicle operators suspected of violating impaired
driving laws. Due to the increase in roadside sobriety checkpoints and
mobile task forces as enforcement tools, it became imperative that new,
mobile equipment be purchased to replace old, heavy DUI testing equipment.
Moreover, without the use of new DUI testing equipment, law enforcement
agencies could not fulfill the requirements of California law.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In 1998, the Bureau of
Forensic Services of the California Department of Justice developed
the Evidential Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) Device Program to
support enforcement of California's impaired driving laws. Program objectives
included the following:
- Researching new technology
in portable evidential breath alcohol equipment
- Testing the new technology
in study areas, prior to statewide implementation
- Developing training and
certification programs for enforcement agencies
- Evaluating the test program
- Deploying the new testing
system throughout the state
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The approach
developed by the Bureau of Forensic Services to replacing California's
outdated DUI evidential testing equipment included these activities:
- After researching
the available DUI technology, the Bureau of Forensic Services evaluated
evidential PAS devices from two vendors
- Four correlation
studies were conducted to test human subjects for breath and blood
alcohol content
- During
the administration of the correlation studies, Department of Justice
personnel were able to identify problems and modify the PAS devices
- After modification
of the PAS devices, a crime laboratory from one of the test counties
repeated the PAS tests on voluntary subjects arrested for impaired
driving
- The Bureau
of Forensic Services then developed operational procedures that included
protocols, a quality assurance program, and training modules
- The Bureau
designed software for use by officers operating the PAS device, and
developed the first PAS equipment accuracy procedure for use by a
forensic laboratory
- Twenty
evidential PAS instruments were purchased along with three Accu-Cal
testing instruments and five portable computers for use in two counties
selected for testing
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