Prosecutors across the state of Massachusetts have stopped using breath test results obtained during drunk driving arrests for tens of thousands of motorists between 2011 and 2017.\u00a0 The reason is that defense attorneys representing the drivers discovered that breath test machines throughout the state were improperly calibrated.\u00a0 If was further discovered that state officials tried to hide this fact from both prosecutors as well as defense attorneys.\u00a0 During the litigation defense attorneys representing the alleged drunk drivers learned that the Massachusetts State Police Breath Testing Unit had withheld hundreds of documents showing a far higher calibration failure rate than had been reported.\u00a0 These documents were withheld even after they had been ordered by a judge.<\/p>\n
Breath test and computer forensics expert Thomas Workman was involved in the case and was instrumental in helping the defense attorneys uncover the fraud, which included withholding several hundred calibration worksheets the police kept documenting their work.\u00a0 These calibration sheets collectively showed an unreasonably high calibration failure rate.\u00a0 Mr. Workman also determined that the calibration protocol the State Police claimed to operate under did not exist. Because of this ongoing litigation, an agreement was reached whereby older breath test results will no longer be used as evidence.\u00a0 Cases where an accused has already been convicted may pursue an appeal, but only if they can show that their plea or conviction was based only on the breath test, and not on other evidence, such as failed field sobriety tests or erratic driving.\u00a0 For more information, see \u201cTainted breathalyzer results could force new trials\u201d Salem News, August 16, 2018.<\/p>\n
Although this litigation transpired in Massachusetts and involved a Draeger 9510 breath test machine, this does not mean that it has no relevance in Michigan.\u00a0 Like Massachusetts, Michigan also has no calibration protocol. There are administrative rules covering calibration checks, which must be performed once per calendar week.\u00a0 This rule, which can be found at Tests for Breath Alcohol Admin R. R 325.2653, which reads in part as follows: [A]n appropriate class operator who has been certified in accordance with R 325.2658 shall verify an evidential breath alcohol test instrument for accuracy at least once each calendar week, or more frequently as the department may require.\u00a0 Notice the word \u201ccalibration\u201d does not appear here.\u00a0 A second paragraph from this administrative rule also indicates that Michigan\u2019s breath test machines \u201cshall be inspected, verified for accuracy, and certified as to their proper working order within 120 days of the previous inspection by either an appropriate class operator who has been certified in accordance with R 325.2658 or a manufacturer-trained representative approved by the department.\u201d While calibration can be performed as part of this 120-day inspection, again, the word \u201ccalibration\u201d does not appear within this administrative rule.\u00a0 In fact, the only place the word \u201ccalibrate\u201d appears within the whole of the administrative rules is in Table One of Tests for Breath Alcohol Admin R. 325.2658, wherein it indicates that only Class VIB operators can calibrate evidential breath test machines.\u00a0 There is, however, no description of how such calibration is to be effectuated. Worksheets from the 120-day inspections can be obtained through discovery, yet such worksheets also contain no information relative to the way such calibration was conducted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prosecutors across the state of Massachusetts have stopped using breath test results obtained during drunk driving arrests for tens of thousands of motorists between 2011 and 2017.\u00a0 The reason is that defense attorneys representing the drivers discovered that breath test machines throughout the state were improperly calibrated.\u00a0 If was further discovered that state officials tried […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,10,11,6,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breath-testing","category-dui-defense","category-dui-mistakes","category-dui-trials","category-owi"],"yoast_head":"\n