Seligman PD applies for grant for breathalyzer
March 13, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
The Seligman Police Department has been hard at work for the last few months on changes to make the department more independent.
Seligman Police Chief Matt Phillips recently applied for a grant to purchase a breathalyzer for the department. Phillips applied for a Walmart Community grant for $4,000; of that, $2,500 of it will be for general equipment needs, but $1,500 will be set aside for the purpose of purchasing a breathalyzer for the department.
“The instrument will be used to test for the blood alcohol content of a person,” said Phillips. “Our goal is just to purchase one to share between the cars, as we typically only have one officer on patrol at a time.”
An ALCO sensor is a breathalyzer unit used by law enforcement to determine the factual level of alcohol intoxication of a person. To investigate DWI cases, the suspect’s behavior is observed for a period of 15 minutes beforehand. In that time, a variety of field tests are administered to determine the suspect’s reactivity and processing ability. If the officer has reason to suspect intoxication after that period, the suspect is then asked to blow into the sensor. The sensor uses the suspect’s breath to determine their blood alcohol content (BAC).
In Missouri, if a person’s BAC is above 0.08 percent, they can be charged with driving while intoxicated.
The sensor, if grant funding is approved, will be mounted in one of the Seligman Police cars at all times and be used in cases to evaluate intoxication levels of people in police custody under suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or public drunkeness.
As it currently stands, Seligman Police Department does not have a breathalyzer. In alcohol-related cases, officers enlist aid from other law enforcement departments to determine a suspect’s BAC. According to Phillips, this creates problems when attempting to intervene in these potentially life-threatening cases.
Phillips explained the current process creates a variety of complications. “We have to wait for an officer at Cassville to either come and do it for us or meet the [Missouri State Highway Patrol] Trooper to use the instrument for us,” he said.
According to Phillips, the wait time can lead to a loss of evidence, effectively allowing the suspect to sober up before another officer can arrive and administer their standard 15 minute observation and the ALCO test.
Having the capacity to administer a breath test on scene would not only allow Seligman officers to more effectively collect evidence. Phillips said it will streamline the process of prosecuting suspects, as well.
“We won’t have to drive to Cassville, and we can find someone to come and get them; they can come here instead of us having to put them in jail for 12 hours for detox,” said Phillips. “On the court side, we won’t have to subpoena the other responding officer to come in and talk about it.”
Additional training will be necessary for officers to learn operation of the device, as well as to certify them in its use. According to Phillips, arrangements are made for training.
“We have a class in March to get certified and show us how to use the instrument,” said Phillips.
According to Phillips, the Seligman Police Department had six cases of driving while intoxicated in the city last year.
Phillips also recently applied for a Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant for new reporting software for the department. Both grants are part of an initiative to make the department more efficient.
Vinnie Roberts
The Seligman Police Department has been hard at work for the last few months on changes to make the department more independent.
Seligman Police Chief Matt Phillips recently applied for a grant to purchase a breathalyzer for the department. Phillips applied for a Walmart Community grant for $4,000; of that, $2,500 of it will be for general equipment needs, but $1,500 will be set aside for the purpose of purchasing a breathalyzer for the department.
“The instrument will be used to test for the blood alcohol content of a person,” said Phillips. “Our goal is just to purchase one to share between the cars, as we typically only have one officer on patrol at a time.”
An ALCO sensor is a breathalyzer unit used by law enforcement to determine the factual level of alcohol intoxication of a person. To investigate DWI cases, the suspect’s behavior is observed for a period of 15 minutes beforehand. In that time, a variety of field tests are administered to determine the suspect’s reactivity and processing ability. If the officer has reason to suspect intoxication after that period, the suspect is then asked to blow into the sensor. The sensor uses the suspect’s breath to determine their blood alcohol content (BAC).
In Missouri, if a person’s BAC is above 0.08 percent, they can be charged with driving while intoxicated.
The sensor, if grant funding is approved, will be mounted in one of the Seligman Police cars at all times and be used in cases to evaluate intoxication levels of people in police custody under suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or public drunkeness.
As it currently stands, Seligman Police Department does not have a breathalyzer. In alcohol-related cases, officers enlist aid from other law enforcement departments to determine a suspect’s BAC. According to Phillips, this creates problems when attempting to intervene in these potentially life-threatening cases.
Phillips explained the current process creates a variety of complications. “We have to wait for an officer at Cassville to either come and do it for us or meet the [Missouri State Highway Patrol] Trooper to use the instrument for us,” he said.
According to Phillips, the wait time can lead to a loss of evidence, effectively allowing the suspect to sober up before another officer can arrive and administer their standard 15 minute observation and the ALCO test.
Having the capacity to administer a breath test on scene would not only allow Seligman officers to more effectively collect evidence. Phillips said it will streamline the process of prosecuting suspects, as well.
“We won’t have to drive to Cassville, and we can find someone to come and get them; they can come here instead of us having to put them in jail for 12 hours for detox,” said Phillips. “On the court side, we won’t have to subpoena the other responding officer to come in and talk about it.”
Additional training will be necessary for officers to learn operation of the device, as well as to certify them in its use. According to Phillips, arrangements are made for training.
“We have a class in March to get certified and show us how to use the instrument,” said Phillips.
According to Phillips, the Seligman Police Department had six cases of driving while intoxicated in the city last year.
Phillips also recently applied for a Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant for new reporting software for the department. Both grants are part of an initiative to make the department more efficient.