January 18, 2021 LINCOLN – The Broken Bow Police Department has received six handheld alcohol breath testing units through a traffic safety grant award from the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Office (NDOT–HSO).
“The departments receiving this grant are all part of a statewide initiative to decrease the number of roadway crashes, fatalities and injuries,” stated William Kovarik, Administrator for the NDOT Highway Safety Office.
The units valued at $295.00 each, are used to test the amount of alcohol in a driver‘s breath. The portable units display a digital reading of the blood alcohol level from a suspect‘s breath sample. These results along with field sobriety testing are used to establish probable cause that a driver is operating a vehicle while impaired.
According to Kovarik, “This is a quick test that can be performed in the field at the beginning of each investigation. In every state in this country, drunk driving is illegal. It’s also incredibly deadly, and a risk we don’t want to see people take. Driving under the influence of any substance will land you a DUI.”
