HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – If you’re getting behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs, Connecticut State Police are warning you: don’t do it! They’re not just saying it; they’re stepping up patrols with powerful new technology to keep our roads safe.
Remember, the legal BAC limit in Connecticut for driving is 0.08% for those 21 and older. If you’re under 21, the limit is even lower at 0.02%. Exceeding these limits can lead to serious consequences, including fines, license suspension, and even imprisonment.
Officers tell drivers suspected of drunk driving to blow seven seconds into a breathalyzer. That one long breath can inform police if a driver’s blood alcohol content is over the legal limit within minutes.
Dr. Jessica Gleba is the Director of Laboratory Operations at the State of Connecticut’s Forensics Laboratory. She gave Channel 3 an exclusive tour of the lab in Meriden, where DUI data is collected and the state’s fleet of breathalyzers is updated, calibrated, and maintained.
“Right now, officers have to bring those instruments into us, and it could take hours from across the state,” said Dr. Gleba.
But that changes in September when the lab rolls out new software to streamline and speed up that process.
“We are rolling out the same instrument, newer technology, which will allow us to monitor what’s happening in the field. We’ll be able to see the breathalyzers in real-time. We can see if there’s anything the officer needs to do to get it up and going on their end; we can adjust something as simple as date and time,” Dr. Gleba said about the benefits of the new software.
That’s a game-changer for officers working at DUI Checkpoints across the state. The new software’s real-time monitoring will also allow the lab to look at key data coming in, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the results.
“Now we can see it and modify it to make sure all of the results they’re putting out are up to date and accurate,” said Dr. Gleba.
The lab plays a crucial role in this, as it can remotely calibrate breathalyzers in the field, keeping these instruments up and running longer. This ensures that officers can stay on the road and keep drunk drivers off them.
There’s one more piece to this updated technology. In the future, a web portal will allow attorneys to pull test results and documents instead of requesting them, making the process faster, more transparent, and more convenient for all parties involved.
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