Ramsey police worry lack of Breathalyzer tests means increased danger for drivers

Ramsey Police Department says a simple lack of parts may result in their inability to perform Breathalyzer tests in the very near future.The Breathalyzer machine has been used for at least 25 years in

News 12 Staff

Dec 10, 2006, 2:11 AM

Updated 6,508 days ago

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Ramsey Police Department says a simple lack of parts may result in their inability to perform Breathalyzer tests in the very near future.The Breathalyzer machine has been used for at least 25 years in the police department. Chief Bryan Gurney says one vital part, the ampule, isn?t being manufactured anymore since newer tests have been created. The ampules are vials containing chemicals which change color when air is breathed into the machine. Gurney says every weekend they bring in 2 or 3 people for a Breathalyzer test and each test uses 2 ampules. With only about 90 of these ampules left, they expect to run out of supply in 6 months.Gurney says police chiefs in Bergen County have talked about pooling the ampule supply until the Alco test is approved for use. He says the proposal is to create only 2 Breathalyzer checkpoints in the Northern and Southern point. However, he says that raises concerns about the amount of time it would take to bring a suspect to either point to administer the test.Though several counties in the state already use the Alco test, the New Jersey Supreme Court has halted training while it waits for a decision on the machine?s reliability.