MIAMI-DADE SUV’S SHOULD MAKE DRUNK DRIVING ENFORCEMENT EASIER…..NICE USE OF SCARCE FUNDS The fact that the State of Florida is spending additional monies to equip certain police vehicles with breath testing devices (the Intoxilyzer 8000) is not a wise use of scare funds. In a normal scenario, law enforcement believe an individual may be impaired while they were driving, and after a roadside investigation place the defendant under arrest and transport the individual to a breath testing center where the accused is offered a breath test and eventually jailed. Having the Intoxilyzer breath testing device at the scene in no way helps the law enforcement process. The traffic stop has already occurred and, therefore, having the individual submit to a breath test at the scene in no way aids law enforcement in making the arrest. In fact, Florida law requires that the individual already be placed under lawful arrest prior to the request for a breath test. The use of the Intoxilyzer 8000 in the field only raises certain new issues. First and foremost, uniform policies for their use must be put in place. Secondly, additional maintenance requirements would be required. The equipping of an SUV with other electronic equipment may also interfere with the Intoxilyzer 8000. The Intoxilyzer 8000 has shown a propensity to malfunction with different radio signals being present. Unfortunately, the use of these funds to equip these police vehicles would have been better served with having a properly working and properly approved device used in the State of Florida. http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/2-New-Miami-Dade-Police-SUVs-Should-Make-Drunk-Driving-Enforcement-Easier-Authorities-176328221.html