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Bad breath test?

The State Controlling Board has reasonable doubt about a state contract

The purchase seemed straightforward. As requested by the Ohio departments of health and public safety, a state board last week approved without question spending $6.4 million for 700 new breath-testing machines for the highway patrol and police deparments to use when stopping suspected drunken drivers. The departments waived competitive bidding. After all, a federal grant covered the cost of the easy-to-use, portable machines. A uniform standard of testing would be achieved.

In a matter of days, more than enough questions have surfaced to warrant another look by the State Controlling Board. Calling for reconsideration is state Sen. John Carey, a Jackson County Republican who chairs the Finance Committee. Carey also is a member of the controlling board, which could take up the matter as early as Monday.

Particularly bothersome is the close connection between Dean Ward, the chief of the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Testing at the health department, and top officials at CMI Inc., the Kentucky firm that makes the Intoxilyzer 8000. Ward denies that friendship fueled selecting CMI. Still, it is worth exploring why only one of 17 manufacturers of breath-testing devices was able to meet Ohio's specifications.

More, independent experts and defense attorneys question the reliability of the Intoxilyzer model. Thousands of drunken-driving cases across the county have been held up or dismissed because of questions about the machine's accuracy, according to reports in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. One independent expert who tested the Intoxilyzer 8000 on himself described near-simultaneous readings as ''loosey-goosey,'' some above the state standard for intoxication, some below.

Repeat drunken drivers invite tough crackdowns, including a law in effect this fall (backed by Summit County's prosecutor, Sherri Bevan Walsh) that mandates repeat offenders to take a breath-alcohol test if stopped again. Under the circumstances, the State Controlling Board would be wise to reconsider. Sen. Carey's fears are well-founded. He sees the Intoxilyzer 8000 as a loophole for drunken drivers to get back behind the wheel.

The purchase seemed straightforward. As requested by the Ohio departments of health and public safety, a state board last week approved without question spending $6.4 million for 700 new breath-testing machines for the highway patrol and police deparments to use when stopping suspected drunken drivers. The departments waived competitive bidding. After all, a federal grant covered the cost of the easy-to-use, portable machines. A uniform standard of testing would be achieved.

Get the full article here.


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