Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:46:53 +0000
An FDLE inspector was fired for fudging tests on Breathalyzer machines, prompting defense attorneys to question thousands of DUI arrests in three Florida Department of Law Enforcement fired a Breathalyzer inspector this month for fudging required tests of the machines when it looked like the machines were going to fail.
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:47:04 +0000
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN, a breathalyzer machine used by Minnesota law enforcement, runs on a pair of Z80 processors and uses 50,000 lines of assembly code. The accuracy of that code base is now under nationwide scrutiny as defense attorneys around the country now frequently claim that the source code must be made available to them during DUI cases.
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:46:05 +0000
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN, a breathalyzer machine used by Minnesota law enforcement, runs on a pair of Z80 processors and uses 50,000 lines of assembly code. The accuracy of that code base is now under nationwide scrutiny as defense attorneys around the country now frequently claim
Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:16:22 +0000
Nobody likes a driver who gets behind the wheel of a car when he or she is three sheets to the wind and puts innocent people in danger on the road. But even less should we like unsubstantiated accusations of drunk driving based on breathalyzers- a magic machine, the reliability of which has to be taken on faith.
Wed, 21 May 2008 01:17:38 +0000
Breathalyzer manufacturers refuse to let the defense look at the computer software running the machines, so judge tosses the tests out.
Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:21:55 +0000
Scientists have just revealed that they have produced a machine that can identify single molecules that are associated with specific diseases, and all that's required is a little breath. "There's nothing to be scared of. No blood test, just a breath test."
Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:34:34 +0000
Breathalyzer source code is finally being revealed. allowing defendants to have a fair trial with full discovery by allowing them to know exactly how these machines work.
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:50:26 +0000
Not too long ago, we reported on a case brought to the Minnesota Supreme Court wherein a defendant in a DUI case asked (and was allowed) to view the source code of the breathalyzer machine which was used on him. Minnesota authorities have missed the deadline for handing over the code.
Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:04:09 +0000
Minnesota authorities have missed a court-imposed deadline for turning over the source code for a breath-testing machine at the heart of a high-profile dispute that recently made it to the state's Supreme Court. That means now there's a greater chance that charges could be dropped against third-degree
Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:45:12 +0000
New Jersey Supreme Court orders disclosure of breathalyzer software to the defense- revealing extensive problems and errors rendering the machines unfit for government use.
Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:41:23 +0000
A Minnesota man accused of drunk driving has sued to see the source code of the Intoxilyzer 5000EN machine that busted him, and the state Supreme Court is allowing the request to go forward.
Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:41:36 +0000
Ever since we posted on the escapades of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, the Law Blog has been intrigued by our nation's DUI legal subculture. Today, we've come across another notable angle into this quirky world.
Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:14:13 +0000
In Estonia, a man was seen driving erratically and so the police pulled him over, thinking it would be a DUI arrest. They took him down to the station where they tried to do a breathalyzer test. Well, the man kept missing the breathalyzer machine with his mouth and the cops finally figured out that he wasn't drunk at all- he is blind!
Sat, 12 May 2007 02:24:21 +0000
For decades police departments have sworn by the accuracy of breathalyzers, generally using blood tests only as a backup or where drugs are suspected. And for those same decades prosecutors have been assuring gullible jurors that those machines are infallible? right up there with DNA evidence. So why are they switching to blood tests?
Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:12:41 +0000
Breath testing instrument used in thousands of drunken driving cases is under scrutiny as the state Supreme Court considers an appeal challenging whether the machine provides reliable blood-alcohol level readings. The court's decision will affect at least 10,000 cases that have been hung up over questions about the reliability of the Alcotest 7110.
Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:53:29 +0000
A breathalyzer (or breathalyser) is a machine that estimates blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath sample. It is used to gauge the likelihood of impairment due to alcohol consumption.
Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:56:14 +0000
Want to trick a breath machine into a low test result?
Sun, 25 Jun 2006 04:20:57 +0000
Very interesting facts on the science of the breathalyzer machine and legal issues concering sobriety checkpoints.
Thu, 11 May 2006 07:36:10 +0000
The Breath of Fire is just like your normal alcohol breathalyzer but with a different output; fire. breathe into the towering black machine and see your blood alcohol content displayed in a whole new way. (mostly a column of fire up to 14' tall)I can see this ending badly. Very badly
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:08:21 +0000
How the dreaded machine works. Shows you how technology saves lifes and can get you in trouble!
Sat, 08 Apr 2006 09:00:00 +0000
You can?t beat the breathalyzer. If you doubt that, it?s time to study the science fair exhibit of 17-year-old Jessica Johnson of Meteghan, who wants you to know that something like gargling with mouthwash will not fool a police machine when it measures alcohol consumption.