Philly Police Breathalyzer Tests Back In Service
by Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Breathalyzer tests used by Philadelphia police are back in service, after a private attorney found fault in the testing of the devices in January. DUI cases for the first 6 months of this year could be effected.
Police Lieutenant John Stanford says the breathalyzers were tested in January with a solution which mimics the human body.
"There was a solution during a testing process that was four days expired. It had no impact in terms of how the machine was reading, so the machines are still accurately reading, and they have been, it's just the solution was four days old," said Stanford.
But attorneys could use that information when defending clients fighting drunk driving charges. Stanford says, however, there are other ways to prove drunkenness.
"Just a general impairment, unsteady gait, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol, so there are a number of different things that could lead to a conviction, other than the test itself," he said.
The District Attorney's office is looking into how many cases could be impacted.
